Filter
- BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Artists, Architects, Photographers
- BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Composers & Musicians
- BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / General
- BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Historical
- HISTORY / African American
- HISTORY / United States / State & Local / Middle Atlantic (DC, DE, MD, NJ, NY, PA)
- HISTORY / United States / State & Local / Midwest (IA, IL, IN, KS, MI, MN, MO, ND, NE, OH, SD, WI)
- HISTORY / United States / State & Local / New England (CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT)
- HISTORY / United States / State & Local / South (AL, AR, FL, GA, KY, LA, MS, NC, SC, TN, VA, WV)
- PHOTOGRAPHY / Subjects & Themes / Regional (see also TRAVEL / Pictorials)
- SOCIAL SCIENCE / Customs & Traditions
- SOCIAL SCIENCE / Ethnic Studies / African American Studies
- BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Artists, Architects, Photographers
- BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Composers & Musicians
- BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / General
- BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Historical
- HISTORY / African American
- HISTORY / United States / State & Local / Middle Atlantic (DC, DE, MD, NJ, NY, PA)
- HISTORY / United States / State & Local / Midwest (IA, IL, IN, KS, MI, MN, MO, ND, NE, OH, SD, WI)
- HISTORY / United States / State & Local / New England (CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT)
- HISTORY / United States / State & Local / South (AL, AR, FL, GA, KY, LA, MS, NC, SC, TN, VA, WV)
- PHOTOGRAPHY / Subjects & Themes / Regional (see also TRAVEL / Pictorials)
- SOCIAL SCIENCE / Customs & Traditions
- SOCIAL SCIENCE / Ethnic Studies / African American Studies
9 products
Quotations of Frederick Douglass
9781429095716
Regular price $12.95 Sale price $9.71 Save 25%Notable Quotations from Frederick Douglass
This pocket-sized hardcover book contains dozens of quotations from abolitionist, orator, social reformer and statesman Frederick Douglass.
"No man can put a chain about the ankle of his fellow man without at last finding the other enfastened about his own neck." —Frederick Douglass, Speech at Civil Rights Mass Meeting, Washington, DC, October 22, 1883
Black in the Middle
9781948742696
Regular price $20.00 Sale price $15.00 Save 25%
“[A] timely, compelling collection that allows predominantly Black Midwesterners to reclaim their home, histories, and future.”―Jen Cox, Chicago Review of Books
Black Americans have been among the hardest hit by the rapid deindustrialization and accompanying economic decline that have become so synonymous with the Midwest. Since the 2016 election, many traditional media outlets have renewed attention on the conditions of “Middle America,” but the national discourse continues to marginalize the Black people who live there. Black in the Middle brings the voices of Black Midwesterners front and center.
Filled with compelling personal narratives, thought-provoking art, and searing commentaries, this anthology explores the various meanings and experiences of blackness throughout the Rust Belt, the Midwest, and the Great Plains. Bringing together people from major metropolitan centers like Detroit and Chicago as well as smaller cities and rural areas where the lives of Black residents have too often gone unacknowledged, this collection is a much-needed corrective to the narrative of the region.
“Ambitious and eclectic, with African American humanity on display.” ―Joseph P. Williams, Minneapolis Star-Tribune
“The honesty in the essays, the emergency in the poetry, and the intensity of the photographs and paintings help to sharpen the edge of what it means to be Black in the middle of anything, which is the sum of our fears and the hope that manifests itself in our dreams.” ―Jason Vasser-Elong, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
“Timely and evocative . . . By calling forth the full range of the Black Midwestern experience, this bracing anthology offers crucial insights into why the region is the epicenter of current protests against police brutality and racial injustice.” ―Publishers Weekly
Black Americans have been among the hardest hit by the rapid deindustrialization and accompanying economic decline that have become so synonymous with the Midwest. Since the 2016 election, many traditional media outlets have renewed attention on the conditions of “Middle America,” but the national discourse continues to marginalize the Black people who live there. Black in the Middle brings the voices of Black Midwesterners front and center.
Filled with compelling personal narratives, thought-provoking art, and searing commentaries, this anthology explores the various meanings and experiences of blackness throughout the Rust Belt, the Midwest, and the Great Plains. Bringing together people from major metropolitan centers like Detroit and Chicago as well as smaller cities and rural areas where the lives of Black residents have too often gone unacknowledged, this collection is a much-needed corrective to the narrative of the region.
“Ambitious and eclectic, with African American humanity on display.” ―Joseph P. Williams, Minneapolis Star-Tribune
“The honesty in the essays, the emergency in the poetry, and the intensity of the photographs and paintings help to sharpen the edge of what it means to be Black in the middle of anything, which is the sum of our fears and the hope that manifests itself in our dreams.” ―Jason Vasser-Elong, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
“Timely and evocative . . . By calling forth the full range of the Black Midwestern experience, this bracing anthology offers crucial insights into why the region is the epicenter of current protests against police brutality and racial injustice.” ―Publishers Weekly
Vineyard Vanguards
9781540299260
Regular price $34.99 Save Liquid error (snippets/product-template line 248): Computation results in '-Infinity'%Creating an Island Community
Vineyard men and women, Islanders, off-islanders and immigrants contributed their energy and enthusiasm to create the Martha’s Vineyard community. Generations of businessmen and women catered to locals and tourists, welcoming newcomers to this Island paradise.
Native Americans of the Wampanoag tribe have lived on the Island for thousands of years. Their leaders helped bring the Indians together with the white men, led by Thomas Mayhew, to a peaceful relationship. The founders of Oak Bluffs created a town for both Methodist gingerbread cottages and vacation homes. Whaling captains built the county seat of Edgartown. It was sea captains and shipyard workers who developed the commercial harbor of Vineyard Haven, for centuries a refuge for sailors.
Presidents Clinton and Obama visited the Vineyard, granting the Island national prominence. The Vineyard is a mix of old businesses and new, of Blacks and whites, of immigrants and Natives, working for a tranquil resort community.
Historian David McCulloch called the Vineyard home. Local John Alley was a leader of the secession movement and Craig Kingsbury’s head made a startling cameo in Jaws.
Thomas Dresser describes how dozens of Islanders have contributed to the unique atmosphere of Martha’s Vineyard.
Portrait of a Phantom
9781455622450
Regular price $26.95 Sale price $20.21 Save 25%
The story of one man�s efforts to authenticate a photograph of the influential King of the Delta Blues amid pushback from others.
After Zeke Schein purchased the lost photograph of Robert Johnson online, he knew he held something important in his hands. But would anyone else see what he saw? One of only three or four known photos of the legendary blues guitarist, the photograph was certainly an exceptional artifact of music history. Despite official recognition of its authenticity by the estate of Robert Johnson, music historians have continued to dispute the photograph�s legitimacy.
The story of Johnson�s lost photograph is also the story of Schein�s crusade to prove he�s holding a bona fide piece of music history. Much like a modern-day Don Quixote in a felt fedora, Schein is on a mission to convince others to see the truth as only he can.
�When you love the music and the person behind the music, you want to know more about him. That�s what this book is all about.��from the foreword by Dion DiMucci, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee and author of�Dion: The Wanderer Talks Truth
�Magic and mystery meld with humility and history.�Portrait of a Phantom�is a tale told by a true acolyte and seeker of the source of the blues.��Patti Smith, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee and author of the National Book Award�winner�Just Kids
�A fascinating trip into the world of blues history . . . The details and anecdotes herein give a great perspective to �the Phantom.���John Hammond, blues singer and musician
After Zeke Schein purchased the lost photograph of Robert Johnson online, he knew he held something important in his hands. But would anyone else see what he saw? One of only three or four known photos of the legendary blues guitarist, the photograph was certainly an exceptional artifact of music history. Despite official recognition of its authenticity by the estate of Robert Johnson, music historians have continued to dispute the photograph�s legitimacy.
The story of Johnson�s lost photograph is also the story of Schein�s crusade to prove he�s holding a bona fide piece of music history. Much like a modern-day Don Quixote in a felt fedora, Schein is on a mission to convince others to see the truth as only he can.
�When you love the music and the person behind the music, you want to know more about him. That�s what this book is all about.��from the foreword by Dion DiMucci, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee and author of�Dion: The Wanderer Talks Truth
�Magic and mystery meld with humility and history.�Portrait of a Phantom�is a tale told by a true acolyte and seeker of the source of the blues.��Patti Smith, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee and author of the National Book Award�winner�Just Kids
�A fascinating trip into the world of blues history . . . The details and anecdotes herein give a great perspective to �the Phantom.���John Hammond, blues singer and musician
African American Education in Washington, DC
9781540299604
Regular price $34.99 Sale price $26.24 Save 25%Secondary education for African Americans in Washington, DC, marked a defining moment in the history of a people less than a decade removed from chattel slavery and legally prohibited from learning. In 1862, when legislation passed creating a “colored” school system, an educational foundation had been laid; by the decade’s end, thousands of people had received a basic education, and thousands more were in need.
A high school was needed to train grammar school graduates to teach in the rapidly growing system, which ultimately became a catalyst for academic excellence. When the first courses for Preparatory High School for Colored Youth were organized in a church basement in 1870, Black youth embarked on a journey of life-changing academic and personal growth. Many graduates not only became notable in fields ranging from arts to sciences, but even more helped to expand the city’s school system. Armstrong, Dunbar, and Cardozo High Schools emerged from this segregated system, each offering rigorous academic curriculums while shaping students’ civic, social, and physical development.
Alice K. Thomas, educated in Washington, DC, holds a bachelor of arts degree in journalism and a master’s degree and doctorate in sociology. She writes and lectures on topics related to the experiences of African Americans. Her encounters with DC graduates often lead to nostalgic stories of the “good old days.”
