Black pride in America means to bring about feelings of self respect and pride for the African American community.   Black pride is a current and ongoing struggle for blacks to achieve racial equality.   But many current events in black history have strengthened the black pride movement.

In 1967, Thurgood Marshall is elected to the Supreme Court, becoming the first black justice appointed.   Thurgood Marshall was an attorney for the NAACP before becoming a justice.

Several other notable organizations formed around this time period that supported the black pride ideals.   In 1966 the Black Panther party was formed by Huey Newton and Bobby Seale in Oakland, CA.   And Stokey Carmichael of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Community (SNCC) coined the phrase black power in a speech.   And in 1980 Robert L. Johnson launches Black Entertainment Television.   BET originally aired in Washington DC.   Robert Johnson later sold BET to cable company Viacom, and became the first black billionaire!   Around the same time, WHMM-TV in DC becomes the first black-owned public broadcasting station.   These events gave the black pride movement a voice.

In 1986 Oprah Winfrey becomes the first African American to host a nationally syndicated talk show, “The Oprah Winfrey Show”.   Oprah Winfrey contributes to the black pride movement in so many ways.   Oprah Winfrey, through her success with “The Oprah Winfrey Show” has been able to spur change and black pride in African Americans and around the world.   This same year, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is first celebrated as a national federal holiday.

In 1989 General Colin Powell is appointed to the Joint Chiefs of Staff.   General Colin Powell becomes the first African American to be appointed to the highest military office.   Other notable political firsts for the black pride movement include Ronald Brown becoming the first black head of the DNC and Douglas Wilder becoming the first black person elected as governor.   Wilder is elected to serve the state of Virginia, and will also serve the black pride movement.

In 1992 Carol Moseley Braun of Illinois becomes the first black woman elected to the senate.   The same year, Mae Jemison becomes the first African American in space.   A 23-year-old John Singleton also achieves high honors.   John Singleton becomes the first African American director and the youngest person ever to be nominated for an Academy Award for his film, “Boyz N the Hood”.   With such notable advances in black pride, it’s hard to believe that the LA Riots following the acquittal of four white officers of the beating of Rodney King erupted this same year.   The Million Man March in DC occurs three years later, and is an incredible unifying event for African Americans and black pride.

In 2001 General Colin Powell is appointed to Secretary of State.   Condoleezza Rice takes the position of National Security Advisor for the Bush Administration.   Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice become the first African Americans to hold either position.   Condoleezza Rice is appointed to Secretary of State.   Rice is the first African American woman to hold this office, the second African American after Powell, and the second woman after Madeleine Albright.   The black pride movement is picking up steam and getting the national attention it deserves.

And perhaps the most important current event for black pride is the election of Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States.   Barack Obama becomes the first ever African American to achieve such high an office, spurring a revitalization of black pride across the country.   In June of 2008, Senator Barack Obama becomes the first African-American to win the Democratic nomination for U.S. presidential candidate. Obama wins the presidential election on November 4th, becoming the first African-American president-elect.   And January 20, 2009, Barack Obama becomes the first ever African American President of the United States.   Quite an achievement in black pride, and a culmination of everything the black pride movement has fought for throughout its history.