African-Americans in the 70s and 80s The 1970s was a decade of progress and achievement for African-Americans. In 1970, the Black population numbered 22.6 million, representing about 11 percent of the total U.S. population and accounting for nearly 90% of all minorities in the U.S. In the decade following the Civil Rights movement, African-Americans fought through barriers in many areas to achieve the equality they rightfully deserved.

Many important strides were made in education, as significant changes were made in many of the school systems throughout the United States. The United States Supreme Court ruled in favor of busing as a tool that could speed up the integration of public schools, mainly in the South. Racial segregation came to an official end and the integration of public schools began to take shape. Substantial efforts to improve the education of all students took place throughout the 1970s.

On Jan 2, 1970, Dr. Clifton R. Wharton, Jr. became the first African-American selected to preside over a large American university when he became president of Michigan State University in Lansing, Michigan. In addition, Morehouse School of Medicine opened its doors in Atlanta in 1978.

African-Americans also continued to stake their claim in the field of literature when Toni Morrison published her first book, The Bluest Eye, in 1970. She would later go on to win the Pulitzer Prize for her 1988 book Beloved and the Nobel Prize for Literature. In 1976, Alex Haley published his novel, Roots, based upon his research in tracing his ancestors back to Gambia in Africa. He was also later awarded the Pulitzer Prize. Essence magazine was first issued in 1970. Its message was aimed at showing the positive views and stories of African-American women.

The 1970s were exciting years in the fields of politics and military. Ronald Dellums of California, Parren J. Mitchell of Maryland, George Collins of Illinois, Ralph Metcalfe of Illinois, and Charles Rangel of New York were elected to the House of Representatives. Kenneth Gibson was elected mayor of Newark, New Jersey. He served the city for four terms. Barbara Jordan of Texas, Yvonne Brathwaite Burke of California, and Andrew Young of Georgia were all elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1972. Jill Brown (1949?- ) made aviation history when she became the first African-American woman pilot in the U.S. Armed Forces. In 1978 she became the first African American female pilot for a major airline.

However, there was still a lot of progress to be made. In 1970, only 16 percent of young African-Americans were attending college and unemployment was very prevalent among African-Americans. The unemployment rate for blacks was about 10 percent, compared to 5 percent for whites. On average, black families earned about $61 for every $100 earned by white families and the median income for black households was about $22,000, while for white households it was $37,000. Most black women worked in the service sector, and more than half of black men were employed in blue-collar jobs in 1970.

The 1980s took African-Americans to even greater heights than before. More visible than ever, African-Americans became a formidable presence in entertainment, politics, and science.

In 1980, Robert L. Johnson began his operation of Cable Television's Black Entertainment Television (BET) out of Washington, D.C., and Bryant Gumbel made history by becoming the first African-American to anchor a national news program at NBC Television in 1982. The music genre of rap came to cable television on August 6, 1988. MTV featured rap artists from the African-American community. On September 18, 1983, Vanessa Williams became the first African-American woman to be crowned Miss America.

On November 3, 1983, President Ronald Reagan signed into law a bill making the third Monday in January a holiday honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. On January 20, 1986, the Civil Rights leader's birthday was celebrated for the first time as a federal holiday.

General Colin L. Powell became the youngest person and first African-American military person to be named Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, the highest office in the nation's military. In 1981, Andrew Young became mayor of Atlanta, Georgia. Also, Robert Owens was elected to the House of Representatives from New York's Twelfth Congressional District in 1981.

Dr. Mae Carol Jamison, MD (1956-) became the first African-American woman astronaut chosen to train at NASA in the U.S. Space Program in 1987. Colonel Guion S. Bluford Jr., Ph.D. in aeronautical engineering, was chosen on August 10, 1983 to participate in the Space Shuttle mission at NASA. He became the first African American to fly in space aboard the space shuttle Challenger in 1985.

The achievements of these decades paved the way for African-Americans to do even greater things in the years to come, and to firmly establish their place in American History.