African American Firsts


Book Description

Excluded from history books, overlooked in classrooms and neglected by the media, African Americans have long been denied an accurate picture of their contributions to America, from colonial days to the present. But times have changed and the record can now be set straight. From the inventors of the traffic light and the gas mask to winners of an Oscar and the Olympic gold, this authoritative resource reveals over 450 'firsts' by African Americans - wonderful accomplishments achieved despite poverty, discrimination and racism.




100 Greatest African Americans


Book Description

Since 1619, when Africans first came ashore in the swampy Chesapeake region of Virginia, there have been many individuals whose achievements or strength of character in the face of monumental hardships have called attention to the genius of the African American people. This book attempts to distill from many wonderful possibilities the 100 most outstanding examples of greatness. Pioneering scholar of African American Studies Molefi Kete Asante has used four criteria in his selection: the individual''s significance in the general progress of African Americans toward full equality in the American social and political system; self-sacrifice and the demonstration of risk for the collective good; unusual will and determination in the face of the greatest danger or against the most stubborn odds; and personal achievement that reveals the best qualities of the African American people. In adopting these criteria Professor Asante has sought to steer away from the usual standards of popular culture, which often elevates the most popular, the wealthiest, or the most photogenic to the cult of celebrity. The individuals in this book - examples of lasting greatness as opposed to the ephemeral glare of celebrity fame - come from four centuries of African American history. Each entry includes brief biographical information, relevant dates, an assessment of the individual''s place in African American history with particular reference to a historical timeline, and a discussion of his or her unique impact on American society. Numerous pictures and illustrations will accompany the articles. This superb reference work will complement any library and be of special interest to students and scholars of American and African American history.




African American Firsts, 4th Edition


Book Description

Updated With The Latest Facts And Photos "A Black history buff's dream." --Ebony From ground-breaking achievements to awe-inspiring feats of excellence, this definitive resource reveals over 450 "firsts" by African Americans in fields as diverse as government, entertainment, education, science, medicine, law, the military, and the business world. Discover the first doctor to perform open heart surgery and the youngest person to fly solo around the world. Learn about the first African Americans to walk in space, to serve two terms as President of the United States, and many other wonderful and important contributions often accomplished despite poverty, discrimination, and racism. Did you know that. . . At her first Olympics, Gabrielle Douglas became the first African American woman to win gold in both the team and individual all-around Olympic competitions. Sophia Danenberg scaled new heights as the first African American to reach the top of Mount Everest. Dr. Patricia E. Bath revolutionized laser eye surgery as the first African American woman doctor to receive a patent. Shonda Rhimes was the first African American woman to create and produce a top television series. Ursula Burns was the first African American woman CEO of a Fortune 500 company. Spanning colonial days to the present, African American Firsts is a clear reflection of a prideful legacy, a celebration of our changing times, and a signpost to an even greater future. Over 100 Pages of Photographs Fully Revised and Updated "Fascinating. . .an excellent source for browsing and for locating facts that are hard to find elsewhere." --School Library Journal "I recommend this book, a tool with innumerable possibilities which will help individuals understand. . .the contributions and inventions of African Americans." --The late Dr. Betty Shabazz "For browsing or serious queries on great achievements by blacks in America." --Booklist




Black Firsts


Book Description

Achievement engenders pride, and the most significant accomplishments involving people, places, and events in black history are gathered in Black Firsts: 4,000 Ground-Breaking and Pioneering Events.




Famous Firsts of Black Americans


Book Description

Did you know that Jean Baptiste Pointe du Sable founded what was to become Chicago? That Charles Richard Drew invented a method of preserving plasma for blood transfusions? Or that Phyllis Wheatley wrote a poem about George Washington, and as a result was invited to meet him? These are only three of the twenty black men and women you will learn about in Famous Firsts of Black Americans . This historical overview, geared to elementary and junior high school students, focuses on notable black people who made unusual and important contributions, and helped shape the destiny of America. Arranged chronologically, the brief biographies include those who made significant contributions in the fields of science, politics, sports, and the arts-from Estevanico Dorentez, an early Spanish explorer, to Jackie Robinson, the first black man to play major league baseball. Also included are: Crispus Attucks, Benjamin Banneker, Richard Allen, York, Jan Matzelinger, Bill Pickett, George Washington Carver, Matthew Henson, Charles Henry Turner, W. C. Handy, Jack Johnson, Hugh Mulzac, Frederick McKinley Jones, Ralph Bunche, and Marian Anderson. Sibyl Hancock is the author of fourteen previous books, including Old Blue, which was an ALA Notable Book in 1980 and was on the master list of the Texas Bluebonnet Award and the Washington State Children's Choice Picture Book Award.




The Negro Motorist Green Book


Book Description

The Negro Motorist Green Book was a groundbreaking guide that provided African American travelers with crucial information on safe places to stay, eat, and visit during the era of segregation in the United States. This essential resource, originally published from 1936 to 1966, offered a lifeline to black motorists navigating a deeply divided nation, helping them avoid the dangers and indignities of racism on the road. More than just a travel guide, The Negro Motorist Green Book stands as a powerful symbol of resilience and resistance in the face of oppression, offering a poignant glimpse into the challenges and triumphs of the African American experience in the 20th century.




A Chosen Exile


Book Description

Between the eighteenth and mid-twentieth centuries, countless African Americans passed as white, leaving behind families and friends, roots and community. It was, as Allyson Hobbs writes, a chosen exile, a separation from one racial identity and the leap into another. This revelatory history of passing explores the possibilities and challenges that racial indeterminacy presented to men and women living in a country obsessed with racial distinctions. It also tells a tale of loss. As racial relations in America have evolved so has the significance of passing. To pass as white in the antebellum South was to escape the shackles of slavery. After emancipation, many African Americans came to regard passing as a form of betrayal, a selling of one’s birthright. When the initially hopeful period of Reconstruction proved short-lived, passing became an opportunity to defy Jim Crow and strike out on one’s own. Although black Americans who adopted white identities reaped benefits of expanded opportunity and mobility, Hobbs helps us to recognize and understand the grief, loneliness, and isolation that accompanied—and often outweighed—these rewards. By the dawning of the civil rights era, more and more racially mixed Americans felt the loss of kin and community was too much to bear, that it was time to “pass out” and embrace a black identity. Although recent decades have witnessed an increasingly multiracial society and a growing acceptance of hybridity, the problem of race and identity remains at the center of public debate and emotionally fraught personal decisions.




The Mis-education of the Negro


Book Description







A Book of Medical Discourses: in Two Parts


Book Description

Reprint of the original, first published in 1883.