Book 7

BLACK STARS Meet the black religious leaders who helpedshape the African American experience----from colonial to modern times aeo Absalom Jones aeo Richard Allen aeo Jarena Lee aeo Lemuel Haynes aeo Peter Williams Sr. aeo Peter Williams Jr. aeo John Marrant aeo Denmark Vesey aeo Sojourner Truth aeo Nat Turner aeo Maria Stewart aeo John Jasper aeo Alexander Crummell aeo Henry Highland Garnett aeo Henry McNeal Turner aeo Richard Henry Boyd aeo Bishop C. M. "Sweet Daddy" Grace aeo Vernon Johns aeo Elijah Muhammad aeo Howard Thurman aeo Adam Clayton Powell Jr. aeo Joseph E. Lowery aeo Malcolm X aeo Martin Luther King Jr. aeo Andrew J. Young aeo James L. Bevel aeo John Lewis aeo Prathia Hall Wynn aeo Jesse L. Jackson aeo Vashti Murphy McKenzie aeo Fredrick J. Streets aeo Al Sharpton aeo Renita J. Weems aeo T. D. Jakes

Book 18

African Heroes

by Jim Haskins

Published 14 January 2005
Meet the Greatest heroes of Africa - from ancient to modern times. 'The books in the "Black Stars" series are the types of books that would have really captivated me as a kid' - Earl G. Graves, "Black Enterprise" magazine, Kofi Annan, Askia the Great, Bambaata, Behanzin Hossu Bowelle, Stephen Biko, Cetewayo, Constance Cummings-John, Imhotep, Kenneth Kaunda, Jomo Kenyatta, Khama, Sir Seretse Khama, Patrice Lumumba, Albert John Luthuli, Nelson Mandela, Menelik II, Moshesh, Mansa Musa, Kwame Nkrumah, Julius Nyerere, Nzingha, Piankhy, Rabah, Haile Selassie, Albertina Sisulu, Osei Tutu and Youssef I.

Throughout American history, succeeding in the military has demanded unflagging courage, strength of character, and a patriotic spirit. For an African American man or woman, serving in the military has also meant battling oppression and struggling against deep-seated prejudice. Those who persevered were not only warriors, nurses, or leaders—they were heroes and heroines.

In this action-packed collection, you will meet thirty brave and determined African American military heroes, from the eighteenth century up to the present. You'll discover little-known facts about their families and careers, as well as the remarkable odds each of them overcame.

Ranging from the Revolutionary War to Vietnam and the Persian Gulf War, these exciting stories show you how:

  • Private Peter Salem, born into slavery, led the charge against the British redcoats at the Battle of Bunker Hill and turned the tide in America's fight for independence.
  • Harriet Tubman, famous for her daring in the Underground Railroad, worked as a spy and nurse for the Union army during the Civil War.
  • Private Henry Johnson, a member of the first black combat battalion in World War I, single-handedly withstood a German ambush and received the Croix de Guerre, France's highest honor for bravery in action.
  • Brigadier General Hazel W. Johnson, chief of the Army Nursing Corps, blazed a trail in the struggle for racial integration in the armed forces during World War II, becoming the military's highest-ranking African American woman.
  • General Colin L. Powell, recipient of the Purple Heart in Vietnam, steadily rose through army ranks to become the first African American chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, overseeing the U.S. invasion of Panama and Operation Desert Storm.

This extraordinary collection highlights these and dozens of other absorbing stories of dedicated defenders of America.

BLACK STARS

Meet the courageous black stars who defended our liberty with uncommon valor—from the early years to modern times:

  • Vernon J. Baker
  • Guion S. Bluford Jr.
  • Sherian Cadoria
  • William H. Carney
  • Austin Dabney
  • Benjamin O. Davis Sr.
  • Benjamin O. Davis Jr.
  • Martin Robison Delany
  • Charity Adams Earley
  • Christian A. Fleetwood
  • Henry O. Flipper
  • Robert O. Goodman Jr.
  • William Goyens
  • Samuel L. Gravely Jr.
  • Lemuel Haynes
  • Michael A. Healy
  • Daniel "Chappie" James Jr.
  • Hazel W. Johnson
  • Henry Johnson
  • Dorie Miller
  • Pinckney Benton Stewart Pinchback
  • Colin L. Powell
  • Peter Salem
  • Deborah Sampson
  • Robert Smalls
  • Harriet Tubman
  • John Bathan Vashon
  • Peter Vogelsang
  • George Washington Williams
  • Charles A. Young

America, always revered as the land of opportunity, is rich in stories about ambitious, determined individuals who worked hard and built businesses of their own. Yet, few people know about the many African American entrepreneurs who helped shape the American dream. This collection brings their stories to life. In every century, succeeding in business has required courage, ideas, the willingness to take risks, and the desire to succeed. For an African American man or woman, building a business also meant struggling against prejudice and working even harder than many others. Those who succeed are not just good businessmen and -women, they are heroes and heroines. In this vivid, inspiring collection, you will meet more than thirty fascinating African American entrepreneurs, from the eighteenth century up to the present, who overcame the odds against them. You'll discover little-known facts about their families, and the exciting times in which they lived. Along the way, you'll witness the triumph of talent, ingenuity, and perseverance.
Ranging from cattle ranching to magazine publishing and computers, these stories show you how: Marie-Therese Metoyer, born into slavery, started her own plantation. Pierre Toussaint, born a slave in Haiti, became rich as a hairdresser in New York. Granville T. Woods, an engineer, could not find work after the Civil War because he was black. So he started inventing. During his life, he registered more than sixty patents. Henry G. Parks, using an old Virginia sausage recipe, built a national food company. Alphonse "Buddy" Fletcher Jr., one of Wall Street's most successful stock traders, started his own firm before he was even thirty years old. This outstanding collection brings to light these and dozens of other exciting and surprising tales of entrepreneurs who lived their dreams. Meet the black stars who lived their dreams--from the early years to modern times Richard Henry Boyd Janet Harmon Bragg Paul Cuffe Alphonse "Buddy" Fletcher Jr. James Forten A. G. Gaston Berry Gordy Jr. Earl G. Graves Thomas L. Jennings John H. Johnson Quincy Jones Elizabeth Keckley Shelton Jackson "Spike" Lee William Leidesdorff Reginald F.
Lewis "Free Frank" McWorter Marie-Therese Metoyer Oscar Micheaux Henry G. Parks Philip A. Payton Jr. David Ruggles Jake Simmons Jr. Ada "Bricktop" Smith Charles Clinton Spaulding Pierre Toussaint Dempsey J. Travis Madame C. J. Walker Maggie Lena Walker Omar Wasow Oprah Winfrey Granville T. Woods