The history of the United States is filled with African American leaders who heroically fought for equality through words and deeds. These men and women sacrificed their safety and, in some cases, their lives for the cause. One of the most courageous among them is John Lewis, who has been on the front lines of this struggle for decades. From the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s to his present-day work as a United States Congressman, Lewis has fought for equality for all Americans. This book uses photographs, sidebars, and primary sources to examine his greatest achievements, both historical and contemporary, and explore how his bravery and dedication to nonviolent direct action have effected real change in the United States.
Tells the stories and documents the contributions of African American women involved in the struggle for racial and gender equality through the civil rights and black power movements in the United States.
The 16th volume in a series published by Carlson Publishing Inc., PO Box 023350, Brooklyn, NY 11202-0067. Seventeen papers presented at the conference on [title] held in Atlanta, Georgia, October 1988 focus on contributions of African-American women during the civil rights movement as activists, journalists, students, entertainers, and attorneys. The studies bring forth important, yet little known, individual and collective efforts that demonstrate the extent of women's leadership in the movement. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR
Learn about African American Trailblazers in Civil Rights who shaped the world like Frederick Douglas, Harriet Tubman, Martin Luther King Jr., John Lewis, Dorothy Height, and many more.
Mary Church Terrell was an icon in the civil rights movement, advocating for equality and social justice for black women through a lifetime of campaigning and eloquent oration. Famed for being the first black woman to gain a college education in the United States, Mary Terrell put her education to great use. Beginning in the 1890s, she spoke publicly on a range of civil rights which black Americans and black women were deprived. Throughout these efforts, Terrell helped coordinate a series of local movements which campaigned for suffrage and enfranchisement for the black population. Mary Church Terrell began a trend in the civil rights movement; her language bursting with eloquence and reason, she argued for a better intellectual, social and economic life for black Americans. Black women, who lacked even the right to vote, were compelled to join the cause, which they did in their thousands. Living to the age of 90, Terrell was a bridge between the Reconstruction era and the modern civil rights movement.
This collection of twenty-four original essays by leading scholars in American women's history highlights the most recent important scholarship on the key debates and future directions of this popular and contemporary field. Covers the breadth of American Women's history, including the colonial family, marriage, health, sexuality, education, immigration, work, consumer culture, and feminism. Surveys and evaluates the best scholarship on every important era and topic. Includes expanded bibliography of titles to guide further research.
Learn how a slave became one of the leading influential African American intellectuals of the late 19th century. African American educator, author, speaker, and advisor to presidents of the United States, Booker Taliaferro Washington was the leading voice of former slaves and their descendants during the late 1800s. As part of the last generation of leaders born into slavery, Booker believed that blacks could better progress in society through education and entrepreneurship, rather than trying to directly challenge the Jim Crow segregation. After hearing the Emancipation Proclamation and realizing he was free, young Booker decided to make learning his life. He taught himself to read and write, pursued a formal education, and went on to found the Tuskegee Institute--a black school in Alabama--with the goal of building the community's economic strength and pride. The institute still exists and is home to famous alumnae like scientist George Washington Carver.
Dorothy Butler Gilliam, whose 50-year-career as a journalist put her in the forefront of the fight for social justice, offers a comprehensive view of racial relations and the media in the U.S. Most civil rights victories are achieved behind the scenes, and this riveting, beautifully written memoir by a "black first" looks back with searing insight on the decades of struggle, friendship, courage, humor and savvy that secured what seems commonplace today-people of color working in mainstream media. Told with a pioneering newspaper writer's charm and skill, Gilliam's full, fascinating life weaves her personal and professional experiences and media history into an engrossing tapestry. When we read about the death of her father and other formative events of her life, we glimpse the crippling impact of the segregated South before the civil rights movement when slavery's legacy still felt astonishingly close. We root for her as a wife, mother, and ambitious professional as she seizes once-in-a-lifetime opportunities never meant for a "dark-skinned woman" and builds a distinguished career. We gain a comprehensive view of how the media, especially newspapers, affected the movement for equal rights in this country. And in this humble, moving memoir, we see how an innovative and respected journalist and working mother helped provide opportunities for others. With the distinct voice of one who has worked for and witnessed immense progress and overcome heart-wrenching setbacks, this book covers a wide swath of media history -- from the era of game-changing Negro newspapers like the Chicago Defender to the civil rights movement, feminism, and our current imperfect diversity. This timely memoir, which reflects the tradition of boot-strapping African American storytelling from the South, is a smart, contemporary consideration of the media.
While earlier studies often portrayed African Americans as passive or powerless, as victims of white racism or slum pathologies, this book emphasizes new scholarship which conveys a sense of active involvement, of people empowered, engaged in struggle, living their lives in dignity and shaping their own futures. These ten essays written by prominent scholars, are synergetic in their common thematic approaches and interpretive analyses, with emphasis on the importance of agency among African Americans - an interpretive thrust that has shaped new writing in the field in the past decade.
