Spanning colonial days to the present, African American Firsts is a clear reflection of a prideful legacy, a celebration of our changing times, and a signpost to an even greater future. From ground-breaking achievements to awe-inspiring feats of excellence, this definitive resource reveals over 450 "firsts" by African Americans in fields as diverse as government, entertainment, education, science, medicine, law, the military, and the business world....

Historian and legal scholar Gordon-Reed presents this epic work that tells the story of the Hemingses, an American slave family, and their close blood ties to Thomas Jefferson.

Author Walter Dean Myers describes his childhood in Harlem in the 1940s and 1950s, discussing his loving stepmother, his problems in school, his reasons for leaving home, and his beginnings as a writer.

Presents a picture book biography chronicling the life of African American race car driver Wendell Scott. Details his early life, the discrimination he faced, and his accomplishments. Includes color illustrations, text-related questions, an activity, a timeline, and a glossary.

An overview of the life and achievements of Jackie Ormes that discusses her childhood, move to Chicago, political views, social circle, success as a commercial artist and cartoonist, popular comics, the Patty-Jo doll, and more. Includes over 150 illustrations.

A true story of determination and groundbreaking achievement follows eighth grade African American spelling champion MacNolia Cox, who left Akron, Ohio, in 1936 to compete in the prestigious National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C., only to be met with prejudice and discrimination.

A biography of the nineteenth-century woman who escaped slavery and helped many other slaves get to freedom on the Underground Railroad.

"This entry-level biography describes how Wilma Rudolph overcame childhood polio and competed in the Olympics" --Provided by publisher.

This moving memoir-in-verse tells about what it means to be an everyday activist and foot solider for racial justice, as Kathlyn recounts how she went from attending protests as a teenager to fighting as an adult for Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday to become a national holiday.