People & Personalities

Durham is a progressive New South city, one in which both the white and black populations have economically and culturally prospered over the past
century.

Durham's Hayti opens a door into the community's past that will allow you to walk down
familiar streets into a time that may seem distant, but is not that far removed, and to experience the full life of Hayti, from its churches and schools to its businesses and recreational pursuits.

From Nashville’s earliest days as a pioneer town in Middle Tennessee, it would be nothing without its African American community.

Like many cities of the Antebellum South, Nashville was built by enslaved people, as African Americans built the first successful water system, maintained the streets, cultivated crops, and bred livestock. For years, Nashville was considered one of the wealthiest Southern cities, but after the Civil War, it struggled to regain that status while its newly freed Black citizens struggled to survive the South’s Reconstruction and subsequent Jim Crow laws. As the Civil Rights era brought long-needed reforms, the Black community of Nashville has persevered through their determination, spiritual strength, and the unique leadership fostered by the visionary city they call home.

A fascinating history of Suffolk’s heroic African-American community. A must-have for African-American and Virginia history enthusiasts.

After the Civil War, African-Americans throughout Suffolk and Nansemond County fought against injustice by demanding equality before the law, the right to vote, and equal access to schools, employment, and professions. Because of their tolerance and sense of fortitude, they were able to own land and businesses and to establish churches, schools, and social organizations that paved the way for generations to come.

Suffolkis a result of the many contributions made by countless pioneers in education, business, religion, social organizations, and community leadership. In this volume, Suffolk native and archivist Annette Montgomery shares timeless, evocative images and passages for all to enjoy.

Join Author and historian Herman Skip Mason Jr. in this unique look at the rich history of the African-American community of East Point, Georgia.

An industrious, spiritual, and neighborly people, the African-American community of East Point, Georgia has a rich and enduring heritage, explored in this volume of vintage photographs. Notable landmarks such as South Fulton High School, Lige Sims Funeral Home, and Union Baptist Church-all long gone but not forgotten-are seen within these pages. The pioneering leaders who have contributed to the town's growth are highlighted as well, including the civic and social organizations they formed for the betterment of the community.

The Baltimore African-American community, with its well-known personalities and cultural contributions have made the town what it is today.

Throughout the years, the city of Baltimore has played host to many well-known figures, including Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, and boxer Joe Louis; the city has been called home by Billie Holiday, Frederick Douglass, and Thurgood Marshall. But it is the local African-American community's members, working diligently to advance and empower themselves, who made history while they lived it.

Join author and educator Evelyn Scales Thompson, Ph.D. as she recounts the rich history of the black communities in and around Surry County, North Carolina

From slavery in the 1800s to freedom in the 1950s, Black America Series: Around Surry County traces the footsteps of African Americans through their transition from house servants and field hands to landowners, farmers, and successful small business proprietors. This detailed pictorial history celebrates and honors the strong faith, courage, and determination of the Surry County area's black community.

Fascinating images of Cincinnati's African-American heritage.

Located on the banks of the Ohio River, Cincinnati was incorporated as a town in 1802. It became a major stop on the Underground Railroad and the gateway to the North for thousands of African Americans during the Great Migration after the Civil War. Cincinnati's African-American heritage is revealed here through images of African-American life in the community, churches, education, politics, entrepreneurship, civil rights, community benevolence and sports.

This book captures the historical impacts of the African American community of Key West, Florida.

Known best as a vacation destination and home to artists, beach bums, and celebrities, Key West also boasts a proud African-American heritage that has its roots in the immigration of Caribbean settlers in the late 1800s. Bringing with them valuable skills, such as shipbuilding and other marine trades, and a strong sense of family and community, these immigrants and their descendants made significant contributions to the life of this unique island.

Buckingham County, located in the heart of central Virginia, was established in 1761.

Since Buckingham County's formation, African Americans have contributed to the history and legacy of the county and were the majority of its population from 1810 to 1910. Former residents include Frank Moss, a Reconstruction lawmaker, and Carter Godwin Woodson, noted African-American educator and the Father of Black History.

Join authors Vermelle Diamond Ely, Grace Hoey Drain, and Amy Rogers as they celebrate the rich history of the black community in Charlotte, North Carolina.

As in many cities in the early 20th-century South, the African-American citizens of Charlotte created their own society that mirrored the larger white community. Yet, black Charlotte was always self-sustaining, with its own schools, library, and businesses. Second Ward High School (1923-1969) was the area's first high school for blacks, and although the school and much of its surroundings have since been razed, the photo archive at the Second Ward Alumni House Museum helps keep alive the memories of the school and the entire black community.

From Elbert Colored High School to Blackwell Memorial Cultural Center, this book brings to life Elbert County's African American history.

Elbert County, the granite capital of the world, is nestled in the northeast corner of Georgia, in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. The educational and political journey of many African Americans in this county began at Elbert Colored High School. African Americans in Elbert County helped shape their community and their country through sheer determination and faith, in the face of slavery and laws biased against them.

From the Civil War period, Hampton's African-American community has fashioned strong churches, institutions, businesses, and a major university where political and economic leaders have emerged.

The indefatigable spirit of a people once called contraband has a remarkable story illustrated by vintage photographs of Emancipation Oak, Freedom Fortress, Aberdeen Gardens, Little England Chapel, Bayshore Beach, and other historic sites.

The history of west central Illinois is presented here through memorable photographs and rare documents dating back to before, during, and after the Civil War. This book introduces a wide variety of characters, including 18th century explorer Jean Baptiste Point DuSable, pioneer Free Frank McWhorter, and comedian Richard Pryor.

Join author Fred Whitted as he recounts the unique history in this visual record of the black community in Fayetteville, North Carolina.

A city known historically for its ethnic diversity, Fayetteville has truly served as a leader and model in the state by providing opportunity to the African-American community. During the South's antebellum era, freedmen and local slaves established a strong black identity in the city, one that would grow cosmopolitan and evolve over the decades, surviving wars, depressions, and social inequalities. This work, with over 200 images, relates the black contribution to the city, featuring its earliest civic leaders, some of its older schools, such as Fayetteville State University, and a few of its outstanding citizens.

In January of 1963, Bradley Hall, and the student records it contained, was destroyed by fire. No effort was made until now to reconstruct or document the African-American population and its contributions to the institution. Using annuals, student newspapers, and photos provided by African-American alumni, this nearly lost history is being documented for the first time.

Whether assisting escapes through the Underground Railroad, forming banks, publishing a newspaper, or providing recreational facilities, Portsmouth's African Americans created one of the most stable middle-class black communities in America.

African Americans in Portsmouth built a strong, insulated community because they were cognizant of the need to look inward. Early 20th-century leaders such as Dr. William Reid, Nancy T. Wheeler, and the Reverend Harvey N. Johnson Sr. were civic models and guiding forces for a community emerging from the ravages of slavery, and enduring the hardships of segregation.

Black America: Portsmouth, Virginia captures the world of an ever-changing community and a people who persevered, no matter the odds.

Take a trip down the Pennsylvania Avenue of years past, the heart of Baltimore's African-American community, when the streets vibrated with life and bass.

From 1930 to 1980, Baltimore was a key city to the success of Black entertainers, such as The Ink Spots, Cab Calloway, Sammy Davis Jr., Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, and countless others, while The Avenue's hottest night spots such as the legendary Royal Theater, the Regent Theater, the Sphinx, and Club Casino bumped and jived until the early hours of morning. Along with the DJS and promoters who helped cultivate the city's musical talents, and the people who were just there to have a groovy time, African-American Entertainment in Baltimorecaptures the brilliance of the city's musical heritage.

Pittsburgh is a working city, in no small part thanks to its strong African American community.

As an integral stop on the Underground Railroad, many enslaved people traveled through Pittsburgh on their way further North, and many still decided to stay. During the Great Migration of the early 20th century, Pittsburgh was again a main destination for African Americans from the rural South; approximately 95% of these men became steelworkers. There was never one centralized neighborhood where a majority of the Black population lived, but Jim Crow discrimination was still rampant, even in a city such as Pittsburgh. Photographs captured by famed Pittsburgh photographer Charles “Teenie” Harris show the candid experiences of residents, including the achievements and celebrations of people struggling in adversity and finding happiness in their families and community.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

In this volume discover the educational professionals and teaching strategies that shaped the lives of African Americans in DeKalb County, Georgia

A selfless and tireless educator, Narvie J. Harris has dedicated numerous years to the students and teachers of the DeKalb County School System. The impact she has made on this Georgia community is far-reaching—she has touched the lives of thousands through her words, her wit, and her example. In this unprecedented salute to her life and times, discover the incredible strides made in equal-opportunity education through a collection of images and memoirs, including the early Jeanes Supervisors who persevered in turbulent times to improve the quality of African-American education and the triumphant achievements of Mrs. Harris and others who dedicated countless hours to the betterment of the DeKalb County Schools.