When the Negro was in Vogue is an essay written by Langston Hughes that talks about a time when white people started to engage with African American people, he names important celebrities of that time.
One of the main African American cultural achievements today is definitely First African American President of the United States (Barack Obama), and the First African American First Lady (Michelle Obama). Some other important cultural events are the First African American to win a Gran Slam tennis tournament (Serena Williams), and the First African American to win the Academy Award for Best Actress (Halle Berry).
There are a lot of African American important celebrities nowadays, but I definitely would include Aretha Franklin, Michael Jackson, Michael Jordan, and Oprah Winfrey.
