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B2M BOOK TALK |
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The month of February is a fabulous time to read great books that highlight African American History. So we chose books that will do just that...
AFRICAN AMERICAN FIRSTS: FAMOUS LITTLE-KNOWN AND UNSUNG TRIUMPHS OF BLACKS IN AMERICA
BY JOAN POTTER
Did you know that...
~ Ralph Bunche was the first African American to win the Nobel Peace Prize.
~ Tony Dungy was the first African American NFL coach to win a Super Bowl game.
~ Eric Holder became the first African American to serve as United States Attorney General.
~ Ella Fitzgerald and Count Basie were the first African Americans to win Grammy awards.
~ An African American doctor performed the first open-heart surgery.
Excluded from history books, overlooked in classrooms, and neglected by media, African Americans have long been denied an accurate picture of their contributions to our nation, from colonial days to the present. But times have changed and the record will be set straight. From the inventor 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 often despite poverty, discrimination, and racism.
Leaders in government, entertainment, education, science and medicine, the law, military, and in the business world, African Americans have made their mark. African American Firsts is a clear reflection of that prideful legacy, and a signpost to an even greater future.
TUSKEGEE RED TAIL FIGHTER PILOT
BY CALVIN J.SPANN AND LEE FRANCES BROWN
Dr. Calvin J. Spann shares memories of his full, exciting life, including stories of his service in World War II. Due to the rigid pattern of racial segregation prevailing in the United States at that time, 966 black military aviators were trained at an isolated training complex near Tuskegee, Alabama. Training at this facility became known as the Tuskegee Experiment.
Many black fighter pilots trained in Tuskegee fought in the aerial war over North Africa, Sicily, and Europe during World War II. Many people at the time believed that blacks were not capable of operating sophisticated airplane machinery-until these black airmen came home with the Red Star of Yugoslavia, Legions of Merit, and 150 Distinguished Flying Crosses. They were called Schwarze Vogelmenschen (black birdmen) by the Germans and Black Red Tail Angels by the white American bomber crews because of the identifying red paint on their tail assemblies and their reputation for successfully providing fighter escort to bombing missions over strategic targets in Europe.
THE DIVINE NIINE: THE HISTORY OF AFRICAN AMERICAN FRATERNITIES AND SORORITIES
BY LAWRENCE C. ROSS JR.
America's black fraternities and sororities are a unique and vital part of 20th century African American history, providing young black achievers with opportunities to support each other while they serve their communities and the nation.
From pioneering work in the suffragette movement to extraordinary strides during the Civil Rights era to life-changing inner-city mentoring programs in the 1990s, members of these organizations share a proud and vital history of brotherhood, sisterhood, and service.
Today, America's nine black fraternities and sororities are almost three million members strong with chapters at major universities and colleges, including Stanford University, Howard University, and University of Chicago.
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