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24 items

• Frederick Douglass

  America's Prophet

  Dilbeck, D. H.,

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  Okay, so Frederick Douglass is one of the most famous figures from American history - not exactly "underknown" as I intended with this list, but I had to include him on here. He escaped slavery around the age of twenty, and went on to become a…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Be Free or Die

  the Amazing Story of Robert Smalls' Escape From Slavery to Union Hero

  Lineberry, Cate,

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  In 1862, Robert Smalls - an enslaved deckhand - commandeered a Confederate ship and steered it into Union territory, delivering the ship and its arms to the Union Navy. "Be Free or Die" tells his story.

• Cathy Williams

  From Slave to Female Buffalo Soldier

  Tucker, Phillip Thomas, 1953-

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  This biography tells the story of Cathy Williams, a former slave from Independence, Missouri who went on to disguise herself as a man and fight with the Buffalo Soldiers during the Civil War.

• African Americans on the Western Frontier

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  This book is full of interesting stories about the African-Americans who settled and developed the American West. Cowboys, miners, journalists, homesteaders, Buffalo Soldiers, entrepreneurs, and regular Joes and Janes - they're all here.

• The Legend of Bass Reeves

  Being the True and Fictional Account of the Most Valiant Marshal in the West

  Paulsen, Gary

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  This is a fictionalized account of the life of Bass Reeves for junior readers. Reeves was the first black deputy US Marshal west of the Mississippi and is a legendary figure in the history of the West. He arrested over 3,000 criminals over the…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Black Fortunes

  the Story of the First Six African Americans Who Escaped Slavery and Became Millionaires

  Wills, Shomari,

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  The captivating stories of six black men and women who amassed fortunes starting in the 1810s and continuing into the twentieth century. From the Gold Rush to property in Harlem to Black Wall Street in Oklahoma to hair and makeup moguls, there are…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Onward

  a Photobiography of African-American Polar Explorer Matthew Henson

  Johnson, Dolores, 1949-

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  Matthew Henson may very well have been the first person ever to reach the North Pole. It's all a little up in the air, but he was on Robert Peary's expedition, and was rumored to be the first to actually reach what they thought was the pole. By all…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Pioneers of African-American Cinema

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  This is a great set of films from the 1910s through the 1940s that were made outside of the Hollywood system and funded, written, produced, edited, and distributed by African-Americans. It's full of entertaining and interesting cultural works, all…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Legend

  the Bessie Coleman Story

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  A documentary about Bessie Coleman, the first African-American woman and also the first Native-American to hold a pilot's license. Coleman was a celebrity pilot in her time, performing in airshows throughout the country until her untimely death…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Joe Louis

  Hard Times Man

  Roberts, Randy

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  A great biography of Joe Louis, one of the most famous boxers of all time. Among athletes, possibly only Jesse Owens got to stick it to Hitler as much as Joe. Louis is mostly known for his matches against Max Schmeling, which symbolized the battle…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Josephine Baker's Last Dance

  Jones, Sherry, 1961-

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  A fictionalized account of Josephine Baker's wild life. Baker was an actress, singer, dancer, member of the French Resistance, and Civil Rights activist, and Jones' novel brings her back to life for modern readers.

• Red Tails

  An Oral History of the Tuskegee Airmen

  Holway, John

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  A book of interviews with the famed Tuskegee Airmen of World War II, the first African-American military aviators in the US Armed Forces. George Lucas made a movie about them based off of this book, but it's not the one with stars and wars.

• Satchel Paige's America

  Fox, William Price

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  Satchel Paige is one of the most famous baseball players of all time, playing in both the Negro leagues (largely with the Kansas City Monarchs) and the MLB throughout his career. "Satchel Paige's America" is one author's account of spending a week…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Partners of the Heart

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  A documentary about Vivien Thomas, a black carpenter's apprentice with only a high school diploma who - partnered with a white surgeon - became a pioneer of cardiac surgery. Thomas's work and teachings saved the lives of thousands of babies born…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Essential Gwendolyn Brooks

  Brooks, Gwendolyn, 1917-2000

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  A collection of poetry from Gwendolyn Brooks, the first African-American to win a Pulitzer Prize, and one-time Poet Laureate of Illinois. (Sure, she may have lived in Chicago for a bit, but we all know that her birthplace - Topeka, Kansas - was the…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Little Richard

  the Birth of Rock 'n' Roll

  Kirby, David, 1944-

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  The one, the only, the innovator, the originator, and the architect of rock 'n' roll: Little Richard! This unconventionally-written biography covers his life story from growing up in Georgia to becoming one of the most famous musicians in the world.

• Thurgood Marshall

  His Speeches, Writings, Arguments, Opinions, and Reminiscences

  Marshall, Thurgood, 1908-1993

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  Thurgood Marshall was a lawyer and civil rights activist who ended legal segregation in the United States and went on to become the first African-American to serve on the Supreme Court. This book collects many of his tremendously influential legal…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh

  Catch the Fish! Have a Ball!

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  This movie sounds bizarre, and I've never seen it, but it appears to be the only item in our collection featuring Meadowlark Lemon, the famous Harlem Globetrotter. Again, I can't vouch for this movie, but look up some of his highlights on YouTube to…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Perfect Angel

  Riperton, Minnie,

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  Minnie Riperton had an insanely incredible voice, but I rarely hear anybody mention her anymore. Check out her five-octave range and legendary "whistle register" (the highest register of the human voice) on Perfect Angel (co-produced by Stevie…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Hollywood's Architect: The Paul R. Williams Story

  View on kcet.org

  Paul R. Williams was an architect in California who designed public and private buildings, as well as homes for celebrities such as Frank Sinatra, Lucille Ball, Lon Chaney, and Barbara Stanwyck. This documentary - available to watch free of charge…Read moreRead more of this annotation