In 1983 , Guion Bluford became the first African American to go into space in NASA 's program . President Ronald Reagan signed a bill in 1983 to create a federal holiday to honor Martin Luther King , who was assassinated in 1968 and considered a martyr to civil rights . Established by legislation in 1983 , Martin Luther King , Jr . Day was first celebrated as a national holiday on January 20 , 1986 . Alice Walker received the Pulitzer Prize in 1983 for her novel '' The Color Purple '' . In September 1983 , Vanessa L. Williams became the first African American to win the title of Miss America as Miss America 1984
Miss America 1984
Miss America 1984
Post–civil rights era in African-American history