Ossie and Ruby form a family production company, now known as Emmalyn II Productions Company, Inc. / Dee-Davis Enterprises.

With Ossie and Ruby begins its three-season run on PBS (two in partnership with KERA in Dallas, the last season with Howard University’s WHMM).

Ruby’s play, Zora Is My Name (first staged at Howard University) is adapted for television by PBS’ American Playhouse series.

David Dinkins becomes the first African American mayor of New York City, and Douglas Wilder of Virginia becomes the first African American state governor since Reconstruction.

Ruby’s children’s book, Two Ways to Count to Ten, wins a Literary Guild Award.

Ossie and Ruby co-star in Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing, for which they both each win an NAACP Image Award.

Sixth grandchild, Imani, is born.

Ossie dies in Florida.

Ruby and (posthumously) Ossie receive the Marian Anderson Award

Ruby receives her first Oscar nomination for playing Mama Lucas in American Gangster.

Barack Obama is the first African American to be elected President of the United States.