2017

Colson Whitehead's novel imagining the Underground Railroad as a literal train system won both the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the National Book Award for Fiction. Endorsed by Oprah Winfrey for her book club, it reached millions of readers and was later adapted as a critically acclaimed television miniseries by Barry Jenkins.

Rihanna launched Fenty Beauty with a foundation range spanning 40 shades, immediately setting a new industry standard for inclusive cosmetics. The brand earned $100 million in sales within 40 days and forced major beauty companies to expand their own shade ranges. Fenty Beauty became one of the fastest-growing cosmetics brands in history.

Jesmyn Ward became only the second person and the first woman to win the National Book Award for Fiction twice, with her ghost-haunted novel about a Black family in Mississippi. The recognition cemented her status as the preeminent chronicler of Southern Black life in American letters.

Whitehead's novel, imagining the Underground Railroad as a literal subterranean train, won the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Award, and an Oprah's Book Club selection in the same year — a combination that made it one of the bestselling literary novels of the decade. It was later adapted by Barry Jenkins for Amazon.

Ward became the first woman and first Black author to win the National Book Award for Fiction twice, having previously won for Salvage the Bones in 2011. Her achievement cemented her place as the defining voice of contemporary Southern Black literature and brought the Mississippi Gulf Coast into the national literary imagination.

Serena Williams won the Australian Open while eight weeks pregnant, claiming her 23rd Grand Slam singles title — the most in the Open Era — surpassing Steffi Graf's record. Williams' career, spanning four decades, made her the most dominant tennis player of her generation and a symbol of Black excellence and perseverance.

Serena Williams won the 2017 Australian Open while eight weeks pregnant, reaching 23 Grand Slam singles titles and surpassing Steffi Graf's Open Era record of 22. The achievement, accomplished at age 35, is widely considered the greatest individual sporting record in tennis history.

Serena Williams won the 2017 Australian Open while eight weeks pregnant, reaching 23 Grand Slam singles titles and surpassing Steffi Graf's Open Era record of 22. The achievement, accomplished at age 35, is widely considered the greatest individual sporting record in tennis history.

Chance the Rapper's Coloring Book became the first streaming-only album to win a Grammy Award, taking home Best Rap Album and two other awards. Chance had released the album independently for free, challenging the music industry's commercial model and demonstrating that Black artists could build major careers outside traditional label structures.

Jordan Peele's debut feature Get Out grossed over $255 million worldwide on a $4.5 million budget, making it the most profitable debut for a Black writer-director in Hollywood history. Peele became the first Black writer to win the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay and the film sparked a critical genre of socially conscious Black horror.

Jordan Peele's directorial debut Get Out, released February 24, 2017, used the horror genre to explore the terror of anti-Black racism in liberal white America. Made on a $4.5 million budget, it grossed over $255 million worldwide and earned Peele the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay — making him the first Black screenwriter to win that award for his debut film. The film is widely studied as a cultural and artistic landmark.

Barry Jenkins's film about a young gay Black man in Miami won the Academy Award for Best Picture after a dramatic envelope mix-up on stage. Moonlight was the first LGBTQ film and the first film with an all-Black cast to win Best Picture, and Mahershala Ali won Best Supporting Actor, becoming the first Muslim actor to win an Oscar.

Barry Jenkins's film about a young gay Black man in Miami won the Academy Award for Best Picture after a dramatic envelope mix-up on stage. Moonlight was the first LGBTQ film and the first film with an all-Black cast to win Best Picture, and Mahershala Ali won Best Supporting Actor, becoming the first Muslim actor to win an Oscar.

Russell Westbrook averaged a triple-double for an entire NBA season—42 times in total—surpassing Oscar Robertson's record of 41 triple-doubles in a single season set in 1961-62. Westbrook was named unanimous MVP and became the first player since Robertson to average a triple-double for a full season.

Kendrick Lamar's fourth major album debuted at number one and won the Grammy for Best Rap Album. In 2018 it became the first non-classical and non-jazz album to be awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Music, recognizing its virtuosic storytelling about faith, pride, and Black American life.

An untitled 1982 Basquiat skull painting sold at Sotheby's for $110.5 million, the highest price ever paid for any American artist's work at auction. The buyer was Japanese entrepreneur Yusaku Maezawa. The sale reaffirmed Basquiat's position as one of the most significant artists of the twentieth century and reignited scholarly attention to his work.

Jay-Z's thirteenth studio album was a confessional meditation on marriage, infidelity, Black generational wealth, and emotional vulnerability. It debuted at number one, won the Grammy for Best Rap Album, and was hailed as one of his best works. Its explicit engagement with financial literacy and wealth-building sparked wide public discussion.

Sloane Stephens won the US Open women's singles title in 2017 just four months after returning from a foot injury that required surgery and caused her ranking to fall below 900. Stephens defeated Madison Keys — making it an all-Black American women's final — in one of the most celebrated moments in recent tennis history.

Sloane Stephens won the US Open women's singles title in 2017 just four months after returning from a foot injury that required surgery and caused her ranking to fall below 900. Stephens defeated Madison Keys—making it an all-Black American women's final—in one of the most celebrated moments in recent tennis history.

Cardi B's single Bodak Yellow reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100, making her the first female rapper to top the chart with a solo song since Lauryn Hill's Doo Wop (That Thing) in 1998. Cardi's rise from social media celebrity to Grammy-winning superstar became one of the defining popular culture stories of the decade.

Richelieu Dennis sold Sundial Brands, parent of SheaMoisture and Nubian Heritage, to Unilever in 2017 in a deal valued at over $1.6 billion — one of the largest exits by a Black entrepreneur. Dennis used a portion of proceeds to launch the New Voices Fund, a $100 million fund dedicated to investing in women-of-color entrepreneurs, creating transformative new capital access.

The Atlanta trio's second studio album debuted at number one and produced multiple hit singles including Bad and Boujee, which spent three weeks at number one. Culture's triplet-flow rhythmic innovations were subsequently adopted by artists across the musical spectrum, making it one of the most influential albums of the decade.

SZA's debut studio album on Top Dawg Entertainment introduced a frank new voice in R&B, exploring female desire, insecurity, and Black identity with disarming candor. Ctrl received five Grammy nominations, launched multiple top-40 singles, and helped define the sound of late-2010s alternative R&B.

Kevin Durant won his first NBA championship with the Golden State Warriors, defeating LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in five games. Durant was named Finals MVP after averaging 35.2 points per game. His decision to join the Warriors the previous summer had been the most controversial free-agency move in modern NBA history.

Kevin Durant won his first NBA championship with the Golden State Warriors, defeating LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in five games. Durant was named Finals MVP after averaging 35.2 points per game. His decision to join the Warriors the previous summer had been the most controversial free-agency move in modern NBA history.

Tyler, the Creator's fifth studio album was his most critically acclaimed, earning a Grammy nomination for Best Rap Album and containing lyrics widely interpreted as Tyler's coming out as queer. The album's lush orchestral production marked a dramatic artistic evolution and signaled the broadening of hip-hop's emotional vocabulary.

Shonda Rhimes signed an exclusive overall deal with Netflix reported to be worth $100 million, the largest talent deal in the streaming service's history at that time. The deal signaled that a Black woman creator was among the most valued showrunners in the entertainment industry and that streaming platforms would compete fiercely for proven Black talent.

Shonda Rhimes signed an exclusive overall deal with Netflix reported to be worth $100 million, the largest talent deal in the streaming service's history at that time. The deal signaled that a Black woman creator was among the most valued showrunners in the entertainment industry and that streaming platforms would compete fiercely for proven Black talent.

David Adjaye, the Ghanaian-British architect who designed the National Museum of African American History and Culture, was knighted in the Queen's Birthday Honours for his services to architecture. Adjaye is the most prominent Black architect in the world and has designed civic buildings on five continents.

David Adjaye, the Ghanaian-British architect who designed the National Museum of African American History and Culture, was knighted in the Queen's Birthday Honours for his services to architecture. Adjaye is the most prominent Black architect in the world and has designed civic buildings on five continents.

Barry Jenkins's film becomes the first with an all-Black cast to win Best Picture.

His "Untitled" sells for $110.5M — the most ever for an American artist at auction.