Bill Andrew Quinn

Written in 1899 by Booker T. Washington, an American educator, orator, and advisor to several United States presidents, The Future of the American Negro outlines Washington's ideas on the history of African-American people and their need for education in order to advance themselves within society. Putting emphasis on the concept of industrial education, a term that encompasses learning the necessary functions of becoming a valuable member of society...

"On the morning of June 1, 1921, a white mob numbering in the thousands marched across the railroad tracks dividing black from white in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and obliterated a black community then celebrated as one of America's most prosperous. Thirty-four square blocks of Tulsa's Greenwood community, known then as Negro Wall Street of America, were reduced to smoldering rubble. With chilling details, humanity, and the narrative thrust of compelling fiction,...

Former slave, impassioned abolitionist, brilliant writer, newspaper editor and eloquent orator whose speeches fired the abolitionist cause, Frederick Douglass (1818–1895) led an astounding life. Physical abuse, deprivation and tragedy plagued his early years, yet through sheer force of character he was able to overcome these obstacles to become a leading spokesman for his people.
In this, the first and most frequently read of his three autobiographies,...

"For readers of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks and Hidden Figures, WHAT THE CHILDREN TOLD US tells the story of the towering intellectual and emotional partnership between the two Black psychologists who pioneered the groundbreaking "doll test," paving the way for the landmark Brown v. Board of Education case and decades of impactful civil rights activism"--

"After a series of brutal murders in a rural Mississippi town, investigators arrive and discover a large number of similar cases that all have roots in the past."--

For centuries, clothing has been a wearable status symbol; fashion, a weapon in struggles for social change; and dress codes, a way to maintain political control. Dress codes evolved along with the social and political ideals of the day, but they always reflected struggles for power and status. In the 1700s, South Carolina's "Negro Act" made it illegal for Black people to dress "above their condition." In the 1920s, the bobbed hair and form-fitting...

"Zach Wells, a laconic geologist-slash-paleobiologist, has the trappings of a comfortable life, yet is not contented. He's expert in the geological history of a cave in the Grand Canyon, but less so where his wife and daughter are concerned. And when his daughter develops unusual vision problems and has a seizure, the world of this family of three crumbles. Powerless in the face of his daughter's slow deterioration, Wells finds a note asking for help...

Slavery helped finance the Industrial Revolution in England. Plantation owners, shipbuilders, and merchants connected with the slave trade accumulated vast fortunes that established banks and heavy industry in Europe and expanded the reach of capitalism worldwide. Eric Williams advanced these powerful ideas in Capitalism and Slavery, published in 1944. Years ahead of its time, his profound critique became the foundation for studies of imperialism...

When boxing was bold, bright, and glamorous and the fights were the hottest sporting events of the year, Joe Frazier was king as the Heavyweight Champion of the World. From 1970 to 1973 he reigned. With a career record of 32-4-1 with twenty-seven knockouts and an Olympic gold medal, Frazier leaves little question that he was one of the greatest fighters of all time. Well-known, loved, and revered as a gentleman and a fierce competitor in the ring,...

A law professor and cultural critic offers an eye-opening exploration of the laws of fashion throughout history, from the middle ages to the present day, examining the canons, mores and customs of clothing rules that we often take for granted.