African American Firsts

African American Firsts
Author: Joan Potter
Publisher: Dafina Books
Total Pages: 464
Release: 2009
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 0758241666

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.

Brave. Black. First.

Brave. Black. First.
Author: Cheryl Willis Hudson
Publisher: Crown Books for Young Readers
Total Pages: 130
Release: 2020-01-07
Genre: Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN: 0525645837

Published in collaboration with the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, discover over fifty remarkable African American women whose unique skills and contributions paved the way for the next generation of young people. Perfect for fans of Rad Women Worldwide, Women in Science, and Girls Think of Everything. Fearless. Bold. Game changers. Harriet Tubman guided the way. Rosa Parks sat for equality. Aretha Franklin sang from the soul. Serena Williams bested the competition. Michelle Obama transformed the White House. Black women everywhere have changed the world! Published in partnership with curators from the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, this illustrated biography compilation captures the iconic moments of fifty African American women whose heroism and bravery rewrote the American story for the better. "A beautifully illustrated testament to the continuing excellence and legacy of Africane American women." -Kirkus Reviews

Black Firsts

Black Firsts
Author: Jessie Carney Smith
Publisher: Visible Ink Press
Total Pages: 564
Release: 1994
Genre: History
ISBN: 9780810394902

With this, award-winning author Jessie Carney Smith both introduces and begins to explain the significance of the more than 3,000 individuals and events covered in Black Firsts. Here are the stories of pioneers in all fields - arts, entertainment, business, civil rights, education, government, journalism, religion, science, sports and more. With 200 illustrations and a special fold-out timeline, Black Firsts chronicles milestones throughout black history, with special attention given to African-American achievement. Book jacket.

African American Firsts in Science & Technology

African American Firsts in Science & Technology
Author: Raymond B. Webster
Publisher: Gale Research International, Limited
Total Pages: 488
Release: 1999
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN:

Presents capsule accounts of notable first achievements by African Americans, arranged in the categories "Agriculture and Everyday Life, " "Dentistry and Nursing, " "Life Science, " "Math and Engineering, " "Medicine, " "Physical Science, " and "Transportation."

America's First Black Town

America's First Black Town
Author: Sundiata Keita Cha-Jua
Publisher: University of Illinois Press
Total Pages: 304
Release: 2000
Genre: African Americans
ISBN: 9780252025372

"Sundiata Keita Cha-Jua traces Brooklyn's transformation from a freedom village into a residential commuter satellite that supplied cheap labor to the city and the region.".

Richard Potter

Richard Potter
Author: John A. Hodgson
Publisher: University of Virginia Press
Total Pages: 440
Release: 2018-02-13
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0813941059

Apart from a handful of exotic--and almost completely unreliable--tales surrounding his life, Richard Potter is almost unknown today. Two hundred years ago, however, he was the most popular entertainer in America--the first showman, in fact, to win truly nationwide fame. Working as a magician and ventriloquist, he personified for an entire generation what a popular performer was and made an invaluable contribution to establishing popular entertainment as a major part of American life. His story is all the more remarkable in that Richard Potter was also a black man. This was an era when few African Americans became highly successful, much less famous. As the son of a slave, Potter was fortunate to have opportunities at all. At home in Boston, he was widely recognized as black, but elsewhere in America audiences entertained themselves with romantic speculations about his "Hindu" ancestry (a perception encouraged by his act and costumes). Richard Potter’s performances were enjoyed by an enormous public, but his life off stage has always remained hidden and unknown. Now, for the first time, John A. Hodgson tells the remarkable, compelling--and ultimately heartbreaking--story of Potter’s life, a tale of professional success and celebrity counterbalanced by racial vulnerability in an increasingly hostile world. It is a story of race relations, too, and of remarkable, highly influential black gentlemanliness and respectability: as the unsung precursor of Frederick Douglass, Richard Potter demonstrated to an entire generation of Americans that a black man, no less than a white man, could exemplify the best qualities of humanity. The apparently trivial "popular entertainment" status of his work has long blinded historians to his significance and even to his presence. Now at last we can recognize him as a seminal figure in American history.

Discovering Black America

Discovering Black America
Author: Linda Tarrant-Reid
Publisher: Abrams
Total Pages: 262
Release: 2018-03-15
Genre: Young Adult Nonfiction
ISBN: 168335429X

From the first African explorers to the first black president, this illustrated history is an excellent resource and “an epic work” (School Library Journal). Discovering Black America is an unprecedented account of more than 400 years of African American history set against a background of American and global events. It begins with a black sailor aboard the Niña with Christopher Columbus and continues through the colonial period, slavery, the Civil War, Jim Crow, and civil rights to the first African American president in the White House. With first-person narratives from diaries and journals, interviews, and archival images, Discovering Black America provides an intimate understanding of this extensive history. “Engaging . . . brings to light many intriguing and tragically underreported stories.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review) “Reproductions of historical documents, photographs, and artwork provide a sense of immediacy to this immersive tapestry, which reaches well beyond the milestones typically outlined in history books.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review) “Absolutely gorgeous in design, with a harmonious marriage of text and colorful archival images, this is the kind of book that invites browsing, and its extensive reach will make this a go-to title for report writers.” —School Library Journal “Begins with the first African explorers and seamen arriving in the New World in the fifteenth century, and . . . ends with the presidential election of Barack Obama . . . meticulous footnotes and a bibliography of recommended books...An excellent title for classroom support.” —Booklist “Thoroughly researched and documented...an outstanding resource for students. The primary source documents, photographs, and archival maps that complement this compelling account will engage readers.” —Library Media Connection (highly recommended) An NCSS/CBC Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People

Black Firsts

Black Firsts
Author: Jessie Carney Smith
Publisher: Visible Ink Press
Total Pages: 849
Release: 2012-12-01
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1578594243

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.

Freedom Facts and Firsts

Freedom Facts and Firsts
Author: Jessie Carney Smith
Publisher: Visible Ink Press
Total Pages: 410
Release: 2009-01-01
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1578592607

Spanning nearly 400 years from the early abolitionists to the present, Freedom Facts and Firsts: 400 Years of the African American Civil Rights Experience profiles more than 400 people, places, and events that have shaped the history of the black struggle for freedom. Covering such mainstay figures as Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, and Rosa Parks as well as delving into how lesser known figures contributed to and shaped the history of civil rights, Freedom Facts and Firsts chronicles the breadth and passion of an entire people's quest for freedom. Among the inspiring stories found in this comprehensive resource are: How the Housewives' League of Detroit started a nationwide movement to support black businesses, helping many to survive the Great Depression. What effect the sports journalist Samuel Harold Lacy had on Jackie Robinson's historic entrance into the major leagues. How the 9th and 10th Calvary and the 24th and 25th Infantry became known as the Buffalo Soldiers, a term of respect and endearment. How Whoopi Goldberg survived poverty, drug addiction, single parenthood, and a welfare income and used her personal history to take a satirical look at social issues. How world champion bicyclist Marshall “Major” Taylor was the first American-born black champion in any sport. How in 1890 John Mercer Langston became the first black U.S. congressman elected from his native state of Virginia. This inspiring resource offers an encouraging look at the historic struggles and triumphs of black men and women in politics, arts, music, journalism, law, social work and sports, the authors chart a full and inspiring history of African American activism!

The First Black Archaeologist

The First Black Archaeologist
Author: John W.I. Lee
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages:
Release: 2021-12-06
Genre: History
ISBN: 0197579019

An inspiring portrait of an overlooked pioneer in Black history and American archaeology The First Black Archaeologist reveals the untold story of a pioneering African American classical scholar, teacher, community leader, and missionary. Born into slavery in rural Georgia, John Wesley Gilbert (1863-1923) gained national prominence in the early 1900s, but his accomplishments are little known today. Using evidence from archives across the U.S. and Europe, from contemporary publications, and from newly discovered documents, this book chronicles, for the first time, Gilbert's remarkable journey. As we follow Gilbert from the segregated public schools of Augusta, Georgia, to the lecture halls of Brown University, to his hiring as the first black faculty member of Augusta's Paine Institute, and through his travels in Greece, western Europe, and the Belgian Congo, we learn about the development of African American intellectual and religious culture, and about the enormous achievements of an entire generation of black students and educators. Readers interested in the early development of American archaeology in Greece will find an entirely new perspective here, as Gilbert was one of the first Americans of any race to do archaeological work in Greece. Those interested in African American history and culture will gain an invaluable new perspective on a leading yet hidden figure of the late 1800s and early 1900s, whose life and work touched many different aspects of the African American experience.