Only one black made this years Forbes 400 list of the richest Americans

Robert Johnson the Chairman and CEO of (BET) Black Entertainment Television. Americas first black billionaire did not make it on to this years ranking of Americas richest people, the Forbes 400. Johnson's fortune has shrank along with the value of the Viacom shares he got in 2001 when he sold BET. His ex-wife Sheila also got half of his fortune in their 2002 divorce. Johnson became first black American to own a majority stake in a pro sports team, buying a 60% stake in the NBA's Charlotte Bobcats. The only remaining black on the list is Oprah Winfrey with a net worth of $1.3 billion, up from last years $1.1 billion. To make the Forbes 400 List this year you had to have a minimum net worth of $750 million, up from $725 million in 2003. The richest person in America remains Bill Gates of Microsoft with a net worth of $40 billion. The total net worth of the 400 richest Americans combine is $1 trillion, up by $45 billion in the last 12 months. The first black person to make it on to this list was John H. Johnson, the publisher of Ebony magazine.