Freedom Facts and Firsts

Linda T Wynn, Jessie Carney Smith

Description

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!

Sujets

• Ethnic Studies
• Black Studies
• Civil Rights
• Social Science
• Cultural
• HISTORY
• POLITICAL SCIENCE
• Sociologie, société et politique
• African-American history
• Black History Month
• Suffix (name)
• Civil and political rights
• Underground Railroad
• Martin Luther King, Jr.
• African American
• American
• National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
• Chemin de fer clandestin
• JR
• Mois de l'histoire des Noirs
• Malcolm X
• Martin Luther King

Informations

• Publié par: Visible Ink Press
• Date de parution: 01 janvier 2009
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781578592609
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 4 Mo

Extrait

About the Editors
Jessie Carney Smith is University Librarian and William and Camille Cosby Professor in the Humanities at Fisk University, Nashville, Tennessee. As scholar, researcher, editor, and writer, she has published over 20 books. Her works include Black Firsts, 2nd ed., and Black Heroes, both published by Visible Ink Press; other works include Notable Black American Women (Books 1-3), Notable Black American Men (Books 1 and 2), Encyclopedia of African American Business (two volumes), Epic Lives, Powerful Black Women, and Black Genealogy. Her numerous honors include being the recipient of the Women’s National Book Association Award, the Candace Awards in Education, Sage magazine’s Anna J. Cooper Award, Black Women in the Academy’s Distinguished Service and Leadership Award, Bennett College for Women’s Bell Ringer Award, and the ACRL/Academic/Research Librarian of the Year Award. A native of Greensboro, North Carolina, Dr. Smith is a graduate of North Carolina A&T State University, Michigan State University, and Vanderbilt University; she received her Ph.D. degree from the University of Illinois.
Linda T. Wynn is the assistant director for state programs for the Tennessee Historical Commission and a faculty member in the history department at Fisk University. A graduate of Tennessee State University, she also earned M.S. degrees in history and in public administration from that institution. Devoted to teaching on the topic of civil rights, she helped to design the module “Civil Rights Movement in Nashville” for The Beloved Community: Then and Now, a collaboration course among American Baptist College, Fisk University’s Department of History, and Lipscomb University. She edited Journey to Our Past: A Guide to African-American Markers in Tennessee and co-edited Profiles of African Americans in Tennessee. Other works include contributions to the Tennessee Encyclopedia of Culture and History, Tennessee Women: Their Lives and Times, Notable Black American Men (Book 2), African American National Biography, The History of African Americans in Tennessee: Trials and Triumphs, and African American Almanac. Wynn also served as a consultant and contributor for the Encyclopedia of African American Business.
Also from Visible Ink Press
Black Firsts, ISBN 978-1-57859-142-8 Black Heroes, ISBN 978-1-57859-136-7
The Handy History Answer Book, ISBN 978-1-57859-170-1
For a complete list of titles, please visit us at visibleink.com .
Jessie Carney Smith and Linda T. Wynn
Copyright © 2009 by Visible Ink Press®
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Managing Editor: Kevin S. Hile Art Director: Mary Claire Krzewinski Typesetting: Marco Di Vita Indexer: Larry Baker Proofreaders: Amy Marcaccio Keyzer, Kenneth R. Shepherd ISBN 978-1-57859-192-3
Cover photos: Maya Angelou, AP Photo/Charles Dharapak; Eleanor Holmes Norton, AP Photo/Adrian Keating; Barack Obama, AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File; Angela Davis, AP Photo/Jeff Zelevansky; all others, AP Photo.

Library of Congress Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
Smith, Jessie Carney.
   Freedom facts and firsts: 400 years of the African American civil rights experience / Jessie Carney Smith and Linda T. Wynn.
      p. cm.
   Includes bibliographical references and index.
   ISBN 978-1-57859-192-3 (pbk.) — ISBN 978-1-57859-243-2 (ebook) 1. African Americans—Civil rights—History. 2. United States—Race relations—History. 3. Civil rights workers—United States—Biography. 4. African American civil rights workers—Biography. 5. African Americans—Biography. I. Wynn, Linda T. II. Title.
E185.61.S636 2009
323.1196’073—dc22 2008041503
Printed in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Contributors
Crystal Anne deGregory is a doctoral student in history at Vanderbilt University. She has contributed articles to African American National Biography, Encyclopedia of African American Business, and Notable Black American Men (Book 2).
Rebecca Dixon is assistant professor in the Department of Languages, Literature, and History at Tennessee State University. Her concentrations are in American, African American, and Caribbean literature. She has contributed articles to the Encyclopedia of African American Business.
Cheryl Jones Hamberg is assistant librarian for Technical Services at Fisk University and retired chief librarian from Meharry Medical College. Her writings are included in Encyclopedia of African American Business and Notable Black American Men (Book 2).
Mary N. Hernandez is a volunteer in the Fisk University Library and a retired librarian from the District of Columbia Public Library. She has contributed to College and Research Libraries and Racial and Ethnic Diversity in Academic Libraries: Multicultural Issues.
Helen R. Houston is professor of English at Tennessee State University. Her publications include The Afro-American Novel, 1965–1975 and articles in Encyclopedia of African American Business, Notable Black American Women (Books 1 and 2), Notable Black American Men, and the Oxford Companion to African American Literature.
Fletcher F. Moon is assistant professor and head reference librarian at Tennessee State University. He is active in research, editing, music/ministry, and in other areas, and has published articles in Encyclopedia of African American Business and Notable Black American Men (Book 2).
Victor Simmons serves as curator of Fisk University Galleries, adjunct art history instructor at Fisk, and as a commissioner for the Metropolitan Nashville Arts Commission. His work was recently included in the exhibition “Fragile Species: New Nashville Artists” at the Frist Center for the Visual Arts. Simmons co-authored Building Your Future: Using Architecture in the Classroom.
Frederick D. Smith is an information resource support specialist for the State of Tennessee, owner of the digital design company DigiDox, and a consultant in technology. He has contributed articles to Encyclopedia of African American Business, and Notable Black American Men (Books 1 and 2).
Contents
Introduction
Acknowledgments
Foreword
Arts and Entertainment
Movements
Artists
Entertainers
Filmmakers
Films
Music
Music Entrepreneur
Singers
Literature
Writers
Civil Rights
Cities and Towns
Freedom Celebrations
Protests
Race Consciousness
Speeches
Education
Colleges and Universities
Integration of Colleges and Universities
Curriculum
Educators
School Desegregation
Protest Training School
Journalism
Journalists
Magazines
News Services
Newspapers
Law and Government
Attorneys
Civil Rights Commission
Civil Rights Laws and Cases
Executive Order
Federal Commission
Federal Officials and Intervention
The Military
Prisons
Resolutions
Organizations
Groups
Leaders
Political Activists
Abolitionists
Civil Rights Activists
Lynching Victim
Protest Letter
Religion
Churches
Leaders
Religious Education
Sports
Automobile Racing
Baseball
Basketball
Bowling
Boxing
Cycling
Football
Golf
Horse Racing
Olympics
Tennis
Sports Writers
Bibliography
Index
Introduction
Activists of the modern Civil Rights Movement inherited a revolution that began over 300 years earlier. While the players and the work that they did varied, the issues were, as previously, ones of equality, freedom, and justice. This struggle in America is never-ending. We acknowledge the overlap in this pursuit among different racial and ethnic groups. In one way or another, the struggle touches the lives of all people in America—black, white, Hispanic, Native American, Asian, and others of various racial and ethnic backgrounds. Notwithstanding the civil rights interests of these groups, we concentrate on the group that has been the one of the most tormented—African Americans.
Since 1619, when African Americans were first brought to this country, the public perception of their struggle toward equality, freedom, and justice has been one of ebb and flow. It has been characterized by a range of activities, from quiet disobedience to public agitation, and from organized direction that sometimes gained public support to public opposition and violent reaction. For three and a half centuries, African Americans have had a colorful and eventful past. We note the current surging interest on civil rights issues; thus, we chronicle here the struggle of African Americans and those who have supported their efforts in a convenient and timely work called Freedom Facts and Firsts: 400 Years of the African American Civil Rights Experience. The earliest entry given is for African Americans at Jamestown in 1619. The most recent focuses on 2008, when Democratic Senator Barack Obama of Illinois became the first African American to become president of the United States.
Purpose
A trade source geared toward students, educators, organizations, and the general public, Freedom Facts and Firsts chronicles the struggle for freedom of African Americans, beginning with the earliest documented date to the present ti