By C. Nicole Mason

The 2000s were a mixed bag for African-American women. From Venus and Serena Williams to Condoleezza Rice to Michelle Obama to Don Imus’ infamous nappygate, the 2000s will go down as the decade of both opportunity and setbacks for black women. This decade retrospective looks at the top ten events that shaped how we view black women in society, our communities, and in pop culture.

Venus and Serena Williams change the game. At the opening of the millennium, we were captivated by two tennis-playing sisters from Compton, California who dominated opponents on the court and showed that talent and determination go along way off the court. In 2000, Venus Williams became the first African-American woman to win the Women’s title at Wimbledon since Althea Gibson in 1957. Since that win, the Williams sisters have continued to dominate the sport and have collectively been ranked #1 by the Women’s Tennis Association on 8 separate occasions.

Condoleezza Rice gets appointed Secretary of State. More right than left and personal confidant to George W. Bush, Condoleezza Rice burst on the political scene with a hefty appointment as the first African-American woman Secretary of State. As a Republican appointee, she tended to tow the party line and helped sell the war in Iraq. And when Hurricane Katrina hit, instead of plotting how to save lives, she was spotted trying on shoes at the Salvatore Ferragamo store in New York City.

Ruth Simmons goes Ivy League. In 2001, Ruth Simmons became the 18th president of Brown University and the first African-American woman to lead an Ivy League institution. In 2002, Time Magazine named her America’s Best College President, and she recently completed an ambitious $1.4 billion endowment campaign, the largest in the University’s history.

Halle Berry wins Best Actress Oscar. In 2002, Halle Berry became the first African-American woman to win a best actress Oscar for her portrayal as a destitute and broken woman in the highly controversial Monster’s Ball. The accomplishment was overshadowed, though, by black film critics who called for a boycott of the movie because of its depiction of black women and the charged sex scene between Berry and actor Billy Bob Thornton.

Karrine Steffans tops the book charts with Confessions of a Video Vixen. The new millennium saw a rise in street-lit and tell-all books written by black women. Far from the books written by prize-winning authors like Alice Walker and Toni Morrison, Vixen introduced us to the hip-hop world of video chicks and chronicles Steffans’ countless sexcapades with men in the industry. It also reignited the debate among black women regarding respectable vs. un-respectable women.

Don Imus and Nappygate. Following the nail-biting NCAA title win by the Rutgers University women’s basketball team led by basketball hall of famer C. Vivian Stringer, shock jock Don Imus’ referred to the team as “nappy-headed hoes” on his daily radio show. His comments angered many in the black community and sparked a much-needed dialogue about the use of derogatory and negative terms in reference to African-American women by blacks and others. After pressure, Imus was fired from his post, but later rehired by another station.

Whitney dumps Bobby. After nearly two decades of a highly public and tumultuous relationship riddled with abuse and drugs, Whitney Houston finally dumped Bobby Brown. Not since Ike and Tina have we been so happy that a relationship ended and a sister-girl finally got her groove back.

Oprah sends girls to school in South Africa. If there were a decade standout, it would be Oprah Winfrey. In the 90s, she built her empire and in the 2000s, she showed us how to give back in both small and huge ways. In 2007, she opened the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa, a boarding school that provides educational and leadership opportunities for impoverished girls.

Black women storm the White House. If the historic election of Barack Obama wasn’t enough, this decade saw a gaggle of black women appointed to high-ranking positions in the White House. The lineup includes Lisa P. Jackson as head of the Environmental Protection Agency, Regina Benjamin as the new Surgeon General, Melody Barnes as the Director of Domestic Policy, Valarie Jarrett as Senior Policy Advisor, Susan Rice as the Ambassador to the United States, and Cassandra Butts as Deputy White House Counsel.

Michelle Obama becomes lady of the house. In a league all her own, Michelle Obama becomes the first African-American First Lady of the United States. As far as First Ladies go, she is the youngest, most educated and most accomplished. Her very presence on the national scene has expanded the notion of what it means to be a black woman in society beyond stereotypes and clichés.

This decade, black women have changed the game on a number of levels. They have knocked down doors and blazed paths not ever visited before by previous generations. The next decade will be about building upon these successes and learning the lessons from the setbacks.

Dr. C. Nicole Mason is the Executive Director of the Women of Color Policy Network at the Wagner School of Public Service at New York University.