Forgotten African American Firsts provides students with resources for learning and conducting research about African American innovators and their contributions to art, entertainment, sports, politics, religion, business, and popular culture. While the achievements of such individuals as Barack Obama, Toni Morrison, and Thurgood Marshall are well known, many accomplished African Americans have been largely forgotten or deliberately erased from the historical record in America. This volume introduces students to those African Americans whose successes in entertainment, business, sports, politics, and other fields remain poorly understood. Dr. Charles Drew, whose pioneering research on blood transfusions saved thousands of lives during World War II; Mae Jemison, an engineer who in 1992 became the first African American woman to travel in outer space; and Ethel Waters, the first African American to star in her own television show, are among those chronicled in Forgotten African American Firsts. With nearly 150 entries across 17 categories, this book has been carefully curated to showcase the inspiring stories of African Americans whose hard work, courage, and talent have led the course of history in the United States and around the world. Introduces students to the pioneering achievements of African American artists, inventors, leaders, and scholars Orients readers to historical, biographical, contextual, and theoretical approaches to understanding and appraising the work of African American innovators Documents the critical but often unrecognized role that African Americans in every generation have played in transforming American culture Models major avenues for investigating, assessing, and writing about African American trailblazers and the significance and continuing influence of their accomplishments

This essential volume provides an overview of and introduction to African American writers and literary periods from their beginnings through the 21st century. This compact encyclopedia, aimed at students, selects the most important authors, literary movements, and key topics for them to know. Entries cover the most influential and highly regarded African American writers, including novelists, playwrights, poets, and nonfiction writers. The book covers key periods of African American literature-such as the Harlem Renaissance, the Black Arts Movement, and the Civil Rights Era-and touches on the influence of the vernacular, including blues and hip hop. The volume provides historical context for critical viewpoints including feminism, social class, and racial politics. Entries are organized A to Z and provide biographies that focus on the contributions of key literary figures as well as overviews, background information, and definitions for key subjects. Provides an essential introduction to African American writers and topics, from the beginning of the 20th century into the 21st Covers the major authors and key topics in African American literature Gives students an accessible and approachable overview of African American literature