Black History

A Harrowing Heritage of Resilience

Beginning in the 1820s, Indian removal saw scores of families of African descent forced west alongside the so-called Five Civilized Tribes. The Choctaw, Chickasaw, Cherokee, Muscogee (Creek), and Seminole Nations all brought their own slaves on the arduous, obligatory journey. These tribes demonstrated shared patterns—including Native women enslavers—as well as important distinctions. Seminole records more frequently preserved the names of their enslaved, reflecting resistance to removal and the central role of Black Seminoles. But enslaved people were present at every stage of removal, even when misclassified or omitted entirely from official records. Power operated differently within each tribe. Gender shaped vulnerability and authority. Enslavement and forced migration reconfigured tribal societies during one of the most traumatic periods in their histories. Drawing on oral accounts and extensive documentation, Terry J. Ligon’s unique scholarship restores voice and lineage to the remarkable survival of those carried west in bondage on the Trail of Tears. 

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.” 

History You Didn’t Learn in School

Discover powerful stories left out of most history books. Author Jeffrey Bennett reveals the hidden legacy of Black Virginians. From 1865 to 1877, over 80 Black politicians served across the state. Learn about a brave Black woman who spied on Confederate President Jefferson Davis while disguised as an enslaved worker.

See the history of more than seventy Black communities lost in Virginia. Read the story of a 135-year-old church and the meaning behind land passed down through generations. These stories show the strength and impact of Black families before and after slavery. Perfect for history lovers and older readers, this collection brings forgotten voices back to life.

A fascinating look at Ann Arbor’s heroic African-American communitiy’s journey and progress. A must-have for African-American and Michigan history enthusiasts.

The black community in the Ann Arbor area includes Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church, Second Baptist Church, Brown Chapel, theAnn Arbor Community Center, the old Jones School, and other well-remembered places.

The photographs representing this history follow the progress of the African American community from 1857, when the Rev. J. M. Gregory gathered together a small congregation at 504 High Street, to 1996, when Dr. Homer Neal assumed leadership of the University of Michigan as its interim president. This integral but little-known part of Ann Arbor area history is preserved in Another Ann Arbor.

Lexington's African-American community has survived and flourished despite obstacles that may have proven insurmountable to some.

Enriched by diversity and filled with fortitude, the Black community of Lexington has made their mark on history as well as the Bluegrass State's heritage. In Black America: Lexington, vintage images from archives and personal collections showcase the people, places, and events at the very heart and soul of the Black communities over the generations. Rare photos of civil rights demonstrations in the downtown area highlight Lexington's contributions to the local movement and to our nation's continued search for equality.

Experience the history of the antislavery movement in South Central Pennsylvania, a hotspot for both slave catchers and abolitionists alike.

Author Cooper Wingert reveals the history of the antislavery movement in South Central Pennsylvania. Influenced by religion and empathy, local abolitionists risked their reputations, fortunes and lives in the pursuit of what they believed was right. The sister of Benjamin Lundy, one of America's most famous abolitionists, married into an Adams County family and spent decades helping runaway slaves on the Underground Railroad. National figures such as Frederick Douglass toured the region, delivering antislavery orations to mixed receptions. In 1859, John Brown planned his Harpers Ferry raid from Chambersburg while local abolitionists concealed his identity.

The honesty of the voices within this illuminating oral history will draw you into the Grant County of yesteryear, and leave you feeling as if you were really there.

There's a story that goes like this . . . So begins Delores Betts, one of the dozens of people whose memories and recollections of African-American life in Grant County over the past century and a half are preserved within what may well be the most intriguing and inspiring history you will ever read. We invite you to join Barbara Stevenson and the dozens of others in this delightful journey back in time. It is an experience that we promise you will never forget.

Black Baseball in Pittsburgh chronicles the history of the Negro League in the Steel City from the Homestead Grays in the 1910s to the great Pittsburgh Crawfords teams of the 1930s and through the 1950s.

When the Negro National League was formed in Kansas City in 1920, a new chapter in America's sports history had begun. Here, you will meet legends such as ""Smokey"" Joe Williams, the famed ""Thunder Twins,"" Josh Gibson, the Steel City's Slugger Supreme, and Buck Leonard, the King of Negro League first basemen.

Explore the rich history of Haywood County, one of only two remaining counties in Tennessee with a majority African-American population.

Surviving slavery, Reconstruction, poverty, and the Civil Rights tensions of the twentieth century, Haywood County's black community has done much to shape the identity of this historic West Tennessee county. This volume, containing over 200 black-and-white images, highlights the county's settlement, the early slave culture, the legacy of its many soulful and talented musicians, such as Anna Mae Bullock (better known as Tina Turner), the hard-fought strides in bringing education to African-American citizens, the importance of church in molding the social and spiritual elements of life, and some of the county's most recognizable faces and names.

Author and historian Sharon Norris has composed a wonderful tribute, in word and image, to the black experience of Haywood County, capturing life of yesteryear in Brownsville and some of the smaller communities, such as Nutbush and Stanton. A visual treasure, Haywood County serves as fitting testimony to a community that has persevered through much of the South's darkest moments and has created a truly special place, full of spirit, fellowship, and melody.

Author and researcher Char McCargo Bah recounts the stories of the men and women buried in Alexandria's freedman's cemetery and the search for their descendants.

At the beginning of the Civil War, Federal troops secured Alexandria as Union territory. Former slaves, called contrabands, poured in to obtain protection from their former masters. Due to overcrowding, mortality rates were high. Authorities seized an undeveloped parcel of land on South Washington Street, and by March 1864, it had been opened as a cemetery for African Americans. Between 1864 and 1868, more than 1,700 contrabands and freedmen were buried there. For nearly eighty years, the cemetery lay undisturbed and was eventually forgotten. Rediscovered in 1996, it has now been preserved as a monument to the courage and sacrifice of those buried within.

Many of the unsung heroes of the Underground Railroad lived and worked in Washington, D.C.

Men and women, black and white, operatives and freedom seekers - all demonstrated courage, resourcefulness and initiative. Leonard Grimes, a free African American, was arrested for transporting enslaved people to freedom. John Dean, a white lawyer, used the District courts to test the legality of the Fugitive Slave Act. Anna Maria Weems dressed as a boy in order to escape to Canada. Enslaved people engineered escapes, individually and in groups, with and without the assistance of an organized network. Some ended up back in slavery or in jail, but some escaped to freedom. Anthropologist and author Jenny Masur tells their stories.

Learn and discover how African-Americans have held a prominent place in the history of Chattanooga dating back to the 16th century.

Did you know that Chattanooga is the hometown of the first African-American appointed to lead counsel on a Supreme Court case? The home of the nation's oldest student, who learned to read at age 116? The home of the African-American blacksmith who put shackles on the Andrew's Raiders after the Great Locomotive Chase? The site of one of the first integrated police departments in the South? Author Rita Lorraine Hubbard chronicles the ways African-Americans have shaped Chattanooga, and presents inspirational achievements that have gone largely unheralded over the years - and so much more!

These pictorial images illustrate the people, places, and events that have shaped the African-American culture and history of St. Petersburg.

St. Petersburg's African-American community enjoys a rich history that is evidenced within these pages of treasured images and detailed captions. Captured are the people, places, and events that have shaped this community from its earliest days to the present. Highlighted are the city's first black settlers John Donaldson and Anna Germain, former slaves, employees of Louis Bell Jr., and true pioneers. Acknowledged is the impact that the blacks who migrated here in the late 1800s had on the city's development. Shared are fond memories of black neighborhoods like Methodist and Pepper Towns that no longer exist, but can never be forgotten. Remembered is the community's fight for racial equality-using both peaceful and militant means.

African Americans of Harrisburg documents the history of the African American community in this town.

Harrisburg served as a refuge and passageway for many African Americans fleeing the South via the Underground Railroad and moving north in search of freedom and a better way of life. African Americans of Harrisburg opens the door to this culturally diverse city of the wealthy, middle class, and poor with every possible race, religion, ethnicity, and lifestyle, which makes the fabric of the community so rich.

The rich African-American heritage of Columbus, Georgia, comes alive in this engaging collection of images and stories.

From the town's early days when pioneers settled along the Chattahoochee River to its present status as a thriving metropolitan community, Columbus boasts an eventful history, one that would not be complete without the hard work and extraordinary achievements of its African-American community. Within these pages, the reader will discover such legendary figures as Eugene Bullard, the first black Aviator; Dr. Thomas Brewer, a champion of the Civil Rights movement; and Alma Thomas, a celebrated and accomplished visual artist.

Louisville's African-American community dates back to the early 1800s. Before the 1850s, many Black churches such as the Quinn Chapel A.M.E. Church were founded in the area.

Prominent African Americans, including Whitney M. Young, Woodford Porter, Frank Stanley, and Calvin Winstead, became Louisville's pioneer families in modern business and politics. Within the pages of this volume are many of the families who worked to become institution builders and leaders--in Louisville and around the world. African-American Life in Louisville covers the period from the late nineteenth century to the 1960s and focuses on the people and places in the Greater Louisville area, including Shelbyville. Author Bruce Tyler, Associate Professor of History at the University of Kentucky, Louisville, has created this unique collection of vintage photographs as a tribute to his community.

Located in one of the Palmetto State's most picturesque regions, Georgetown County is a beautiful coastal county full of African-American traditions and the distinct Gullah heritage.

Derived from the West Africans who were brought to the Carolinas in bondage, the Gullah culture is a melting pot of traditions of different African nations, and while the Gullah region once extended from North Carolina and into Florida, today the Gullah area is mostly confined to Georgia and the Lowcountry of South Carolina. An integral part of the identity of the Lowcountry, the Black community has played a prominent role in the successful development of the county since the first Africans' arrival in the 1600s. This volume serves to highlight and celebrate the county's people, their struggles, and their achievements.

Aviation captivated young men before World War II, regardless of their skin color. But few Black enthusiasts had access, means or opportunity until the Civil Pilot Training program.

Lincoln University of Missouri and the old Jefferson Airfield offered the only program west of the Mississippi River exclusively for Black pilots. Fulfilling the dream of the school’s founders, many successful Lincolnites joined the Tuskegee Airmen, the first U.S. military aviation units. Wendell Pruitt’s aerial acrobatics were legendary, and Wilbur Long was one of twenty-two to survive Nazi POW camps. Clovis Bordeaux went on to be one of the first Black rocket scientists, and Charles Anderson became a pioneer in satellite meteorology. Michelle Brooks explores Lincoln’s men and moments in their pursuit of Double Victory.

Southern New Jersey was a hotbed of slave fugitives, freedmen and abolitionists in the Civil War era.

The proud 22nd Regiment of the United States Colored Troops included hundreds of Black New Jerseyans ready to fight for emancipation and the Union cause. Abolitionists such as Harriet Tubman, Abigail Goodwin and Benjamin Sheppard operated among key landmarks of the Underground Railroad in South Jersey counties such as Cape May, Cumberland and Salem. Slavery and the rights of Black Americans were at the forefront of the region's attention including stories such as a melee in a Cape May hotel between Black waiters and white patrons, the covert signaling of boats ferrying fugitive slaves across the Delaware River and the daring rescue of a runway slave from the hands of slave catchers by local church worshipers. Author Ellen Alford reveals the history of abolition and the Underground Railroad in South Jersey.

In the earliest days of America's founding, Vermont stands out: a consitution that banned slavery outright and allowed those without land the right to vote, created a fertile ground for those cast aside in neighboring states--women, native american and african american people--to thrive and to to lead.

Vermont's constitution, drafted in 1777, was one of the most enlightened documents of its time, but in contrast, the history of Vermont has largely been told through the stories of influential white men. This book takes a fresh look at Vermont's history, uncovering hidden stories, from the earliest inhabitants to present-day citizens striving to overcome adversity and be advocates for change. Native Americans struggled to maintain an identity in the state while their land and rights were disappearing. Lucy Terry Prince was the first female African American poet who rose above racism to argue her case before Vermont's governor and won. Educator and historian Cynthia Bittinger unearths these and other inspirational stories of the contributions of women, Native Americans and African Americans to Vermont's history.

See how the African-American community has played a vital role in the development and success of Vance County, North Carolina.

The African-American community has been an integral part of Vance County's history over the years. From antebellum times, to Reconstruction, to the Civil Rights era, to the present, this community has been through it all. Making a difference in all walks of life--educational, spiritual, commercial, and civic--the black citizens of this historic Tar Heel county share an impressive story, one marked by a determination and undeniable will to succeed through economic hardships and social challenges.

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.

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.

Explore the hidden history of Portsmouth and uncover the city’s enduring spirit

One of New Hampshire’s oldest towns, Portsmouth has always been known for its historical sites. These encompass a rich heritage that has often been well documented. And yet, there is more to this seaside city than meets the eye. A closer look reveals some colonial-era advertising on historic headstones, while the remnants of the old statehouse are now in a shipping container. The houses on The Hill only hint at the historic neighborhood that once existed in the northern part of town, and the Portsmouth African Burying Ground Memorial points to an extensive history that dates back more than 375 years. Of course, maritime and naval history abound here, while St. John’s and North Church are representative of a religious history that stretches far back in time. Join historian and author Glenn Knoblock as he uncovers some hidden gems of Portsmouth history.

A Harrowing Heritage of Resilience

During the era of Indian Removal, scores of men, women and children of African descent were forced west alongside the Choctaw, Chickasaw, Cherokee, Muscogee (Creek), and Seminole Nations. 

Jacksonville, Florida’s Gullah Geechee heritage is an integral part of the city’s story.

Gullah Geechee people, descendants of west and central Africans forcibly brought to the southeastern coast of the United States, have retained many of their indigenous African traditions through architecture, food, culture, religion, and occupations. This legacy, combined with northeast Florida’s unique blend of Indigenous, French, Spanish, and English colonial history, has contributed to the African American journey in Jacksonville. Today, Jacksonville is the largest city in the federally designated Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor, which stretches from Wilmington, North Carolina, to St. Augustine, Florida.

Ennis Davis is a Gullah Geechee descendant, urban planner, heritage advocate, and writer. Adrienne Burke is a historian, urban planner, and heritage advocate. Together they own Community Planning Collaborative, a firm working to assist communities with heritage-based urban planning solutions. Drawing from archival photographs housed in the Library of Congress, State Archives of Florida, National Archives, Jacksonville Public Library, University of Florida, University of North Florida, the Ritz Theatre & Museum, and the Jaxson magazine, each image illuminates the unique stories of the past that continue to shape Jacksonville’s character today. The foreword is provided by Saundra Morene with the Jacksonville Gullah/Geechee Nation Community Development Corporation.

Hidden History of Black Cincinnati reveals the untold stories that shaped a city and defined a people. 

Long before the Civil Rights Movement or the Harlem Renaissance, Black Cincinnatians were building communities, owning businesses, and resisting injustice in bold and brilliant ways. B.F. Howard and Pullman Porter Arthur J. Riggs co-founded the international organization now known as the Black Elks, and Margaret Garner’s tragic flight to freedom inspired Toni Morrison’s Beloved and ignited national debates on slavery. Celebrated painter Robert S. Duncanson rose to international acclaim in the nineteenth century despite the limitations of race.

Writer, historian, and cultural advocate Kareem A. Simpson unearths these powerful stories and more with clarity and care, offering a rich portrait of a city’s soul and the Black lives that shaped it.

History You Didn’t Learn in School

Discover powerful stories left out of most history books. Author Jeffrey Bennett reveals the hidden legacy of Black Virginians. From 1865 to 1877, over 80 Black politicians served across the state. Learn about a brave Black woman who spied on Confederate President Jefferson Davis while disguised as an enslaved worker.

See the history of more than seventy Black communities lost in Virginia. Read the story of a 135-year-old church and the meaning behind land passed down through generations. These stories show the strength and impact of Black families before and after slavery. Perfect for history lovers and older readers, this collection brings forgotten voices back to life.

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.” 

From settlement to sediment 

Unlike the freedman communities in Spiro, Ft. Coffee and Poteau, the town of Skullyville faded into a forgotten ghost town. Dr. G. E. Hartshorne’s 1950 “Skullyville and Its People in 1889” chronicled the inhabitants’ lifestyle and culture. Yet he excluded many that arrived in the 1830s, having survived the long and arduous journey of the Trail of Tears. Enslaved people of African descent, arriving alongside their Choctaw masters, were seldom mentioned in contemporaneous accounts. They labored for decades without pay, or the comforts of freedom. Their tribal oppressors joined the Confederates, vowing to maintain their slaveholding lifestyle. Conversely, some from Skullyville resisted by joining the Union Army. Many lived to see freedom, and established livelihoods after abolition. In April of 1866, Choctaw leaders joined the Chickasaw at Fort Smith to sign a peace treaty that abolished slavery and promised citizenship and suffrage to those once enslaved by their nations. Freedman descendent Angela Walton-Raji resurrects the lost voices of Skullyville and champions a legacy that outlasted the town itself. 

From colorful characters like Cato Alexander, New York’s first celebrity bartender, to sad and disturbing stories about Jack Daniel’s heirs, Makers & Shakers has a little bit of everything for everyone. 

Join Washington, D.C.–based author and producer of ardent spirits Troy Hughes on a historical romp through booze-infused tales about Black Americans. Discover the stories of pioneering Montana moonshiner Bertie Brown and the ill-fated partnership of Diddy and Diageo. Find out about Ripple, the national drink of Watts, and learn how cognac became the unofficial drink of Black America.

On the first warm and sunny day of the year, Washington, D.C., Martin Luther King, Jr. Middle School principal Sharon Riggs needs one more substitute teacher. Victor Kennedy, the father of the school�s secretary, agrees to teach the seventh-grade American-history class for the day and tells the students about the Tuskegee Airmen. During World War II, the Tuskegee Airmen were the first black men allowed into combat, flying over 1,500 missions over the course of the war and winning a significant battle against segregation at home. Young readers will experiencefor themselves the triumphant pride of these men in serving their country.

Nannie Berger Hairston was a crusader for justice in twentieth-century Virginia.

Nannie Berger Hairston was born in West Virginia in 1921, half a century after the end of the Civil War. She attended segregated schools, graduated, married and started a family. When Nannie’s husband, John, lost his job in the coal mine, the Hairstons moved to Southwest Virginia. It was the height of Jim Crow, and yet, against great odds, she and John became leaders in the community, advocating for civil rights and social justice. Nannie Hairston’s advice was sought by the powerless as well as the powerful. At the time of her death in 2017, she had taken her place as an icon for truth, justice and love.

Local author Sheree Scarborough uses Nannie Hairston’s own words to tell her story.

Sedalia and the Palmer Memorial Institute traces the growth and development of a rural Southern community that made an impact on the nation.

Sedalia, North Carolina, has a rich and diverse history. In 1901, the American Missionary Association hired a young woman, Charlotte Hawkins Brown, to teach at a small school in eastern Guilford County. The school closed in 1902, and at the request of the local residents, Brown remained and opened the Alice Freeman Palmer Memorial Institute, which in later years became a world renowned African-American preparatory school that educated children from the wealthiest families in the United States and six foreign nations.