Forgotten African American Firsts: An Encyclopedia of Pioneering History - Softcover

Ostrom, Hans

Softcover

ISBN 13: 9798216489412

Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic, 2026

Synopsis

Winner of the 2024 RUSA Outstanding Reference Award Introduces students to 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.

About this title

About the Authors

Hans A. Ostrom is Professor of English and African American studies at the University of Puget Sound, USA. His teaching and research interests focus on African American literature, creative writing, and detective fiction. Ostrom is the author of several books, including Langston Hughes: A Study of the Short Fiction (1993) and A Langston Hughes Encyclopedia (2001). He is co-editor of The Greenwood Encyclopedia of African American Literature (2005).

J. David Macey Jr. is Professor of English and Dean of the Carol A. Ammon College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences at Central Connecticut State University. He specializes in the study and teaching of Old English literature, 18th-century British literature, African American literature, and the history of the English language. Macey is co-editor of The Greenwood Encyclopedia of African American Literature and African American Literature: An Encyclopedia for Students.

Edition details

• Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic
• Publication date: 2026
• Language: English
• ISBN 13: 9798216489412
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 352