The Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. opens to the public.
Oprah Winfrey launches OWN cable network.
Ava Duverney becomes the first African-American woman to win Best Director at the Sundance Film Festival.
Trayvon Martin is unjustly murdered in cold blood by George Zimmerman in Sanford, Florida.
Barack Obama is sworn in for his second term as President of the United States.
The U.S. Supreme Court overturns part of the 1965 Voting Rights Act in Shelby County v. Holder.
George Zimmerman is acquitted, provoking nationwide protests.
The Black Lives Matter movement is created in response to the major surge in police shootings of black men.
Michael Brown is shot by Police Officer Darren Wilson in Ferguson, Missouri; protests follow across the country and overseas.
Eric Garner dies in Staten Island, New York City after a police officer put him in an illegal chokehold.
Nine African Americans are killed by a white gunman in a church in Charleston, SC.
Simone Manuel is the first African American female swimmer to win an Olympic medal in an individual event at the RIO Summer Olympic games.
14 African girls launch Africa's first private satellite, while participating in the Meta Economic Development Organization.
Dr. Haydiah-Nicole Green develops a 3-in-1 technology that targets images and treats cancer.