Robert L. Johnson founds Black Entertainment Television. The channel featured old films initially, but took advantage of the fact that MTV typically excluded Black performers. It formed relationships with record labels and promoted Black music videos. The channel is still active today.

The Miami Riot occurs after police officers responsible for the murder of an unarmed Black man are acquitted. Though this lasted for only 24 hours, it is believed to be the worst since the Detroit Riots in 1967.

Michael Jackson releases his project Thriller, which would become, to this day, the bestselling album of all time. 

Bryant Gumbel joins the Today show, becoming the first Black person to anchor a show on a major network. He would anchor there for 15 years. 

Reverend Jesse Jackson becomes the second Black person to run for president in the Democratic primary.  

The Cosby Show airs on NBC and becomes the most successful show featuring a Black cast in the history of television. 

Mayor of Philadelphia W. Wilson Goode orders law enforcement to bomb the MOVE headquarters. The organization was a Black liberation group founded in 1972. As a result of the bombing, 250 people became homeless and 11 pronounced dead. 

Author Gwendolyn Brooks, who previously was the first Black person to win a Pulitzer Prize becomes the U.S. Poet Laureate.

Mike Tyson becomes the youngest heavyweight champion in the world. 

The Oprah Winfrey Show reaches national syndication. 

Aretha Franklin becomes the first woman to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. 

Whitney Houston becomes the first female singer to have an album debut at No. 1 on the Billboard chart.

S.U.C.C.E.S.S. (Students United for Continuous Cultural Experience & Setonian Support) is founded for Black students on campus. This is the second documented Black student organization on campus. 

Temple University offers the first Ph.D. in African American studies in the United States.

Bill Cosby makes the largest donation to a college or university ever made by a Black person. He donated $20 million to Spelman College. 

Barbara C. Harris is appointed as a bishop in the Anglican Episcopal Church. This appointment makes her the first woman to be in this position and breaks centuries of precedents. 

Frederick Drew Gregory becomes the first Black person to command a space shuttle when he leads the Discovery. 

10 Black freshmen are invited to participate in a focus group with Seton Hill College's president and staff. The students were encouraged to discuss and identify issues surrounding the recruitment and retention of Black students, as well as the steps necessary to meet their needs.