History: African American History & Primary Sources
Example of a Primary Source
African American U.S. History Book
From du Bois to Obama by ISBN: 9780809329793Publication Date: 2010-06-16Michael Dyson interviews President Obama. This intimate access provides a unique depth to this engrossing analysis of the nation's first black president, and how race shapes and will shape our understanding of his achievements and failures alike
Charles S. Johnson - Sociologist/Fisk President 1946
Charles S. Johnson was a lifelong advocate for racial equality and the advancement of civil rights for African Americans and all ethnic minorities. Johnson was a sociologist and was appointed as the first black president of Fisk University in 1946. He preferred to work collaboratively with liberal white groups in the South, quietly as a "sideline activist," to get practical results. Source: Tennessee Encyclopedia online
Madam C.J. Walker (1867-1919)- Self-made millionaire
Madam C.J. Walker became one of the first African American women to become a self-made millionaire. She invented a hair product to cure hair loss. She handled manufacturing for her product and trained sales beauticians. As a philanthropist, she gave monies to education institutes and organizations devoted to the uplifting of black people. Source- Madam C.J. Walker Biography
Source Types for History
Reference: https://guides.library.stonybrook.edu/wrt380kaplan
Ella Baker (1903-1986) - Civil Rights. Activist
Ella Baker's early life was heavily influenced by her slave-born grandmother. Ella's grandmother's pride and resilience through adversity inspired a sense of fight for social justice. After graduating from high school, Ella moved to New York and joined the Young Negroes Collective League whose mission to develop black economic power through collective planning. She worked for five decades in New York and in the South largely behind-the-scenes organizer alongside some of the most noted civil rights leaders of the 20th century. Source: Ella Baker Center for Human Rights
Organizations
- Association for the Study of African American Life and History
ASALH's mission is to promote, research, preserve, interpret and disseminate information about Black life, history and culture to the global community. - The Colored Conventions
From 1830 until well after the Civil War, African Americans gathered across the United States and Canada to participate in political meetings held at the state and national levels. A cornerstone of Black organizing in the nineteenth century, these “Colored Conventions” brought Black men and women together in a decades-long campaign for civil and human rights. - Digital Gateway for Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee
For the first time, young people decisively entered the ranks of civil rights movement leadership. They committed themselves to full-time organizing from the bottom-up, and with this approach empowered older efforts at change and facilitated the emergence of powerful new grassroots voices. - National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)
The mission of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is to secure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights in order to eliminate race-based discrimination and ensure the health and well-being of all persons.
Carter G. Woodson (1875-1950)
Carter G. Woodson is called the "Father of black history". Woodson is an American historian, author, and journalist. One of the first scholars to study the African Diaspora. Woodson is the founder of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH).
African American Culture & History Websites
- Black History 365: an inclusive account of American historyThe Black History 365 curriculum is informed by a collection of more than 3,000 documents and artifacts (oldest piece dated 1553), owned by The Freeman Institute Black History collection.
- The Faces of Science: African Americans in the SciencesThe accomplishments of the past and present can serve as pathfinders to present and future
engineers and scientists. African American chemists, biologists, inventors, engineers, and mathematicians have contributed in both large and small ways that can be overlooked when chronicling the history of science. - Great Black Heroes (Podcasts)This site looks as many of the Black heroes in the course of history, pioneers and ground breakers in different fields, and brings recognition to those who have worked to overcome obstacles to become heroes.
- Great Black InventorsAchievements by Black inventors can be seen as far back as ancient Africa but much of society has no idea that many of the products or devices that make their everyday lives more enjoyable are the result of the hard work and ingenuity of Blacks.
- The History MakersThe HistoryMakers is a national 501(c)(3) non-profit research and educational institution committed to preserving and making widely accessible the untold personal stories of both well-known and unsung African Americans.
- The National Caucus and Center on Black Aged (NCBA)Since then, NCBA has helped protect and improve the quality of life for elderly populations, making certain that legislators, policy makers, philanthropists, advocacy groups, service organizations, thought leaders and the public at-large include minority seniors in their programs, policy- and law-making, and giving.
- Temple University Digital Collection: African AmericansIncludes the Digital Collection of Temple University Libraries. The Charles L. Blockson Afro-American Collection is also included.
Example of a Tertiary Source- African American History Book
African American History & Web Resources
- Association for the Study of Negro Life & HistoryASALH is credited for the evolving awareness of the true place of blacks in history can, in large part, be bestowed on one man, Carter G. Woodson. ASALH continues Woodson’s tradition of disseminating information about black life, history and culture to the global community.
- Flashbacks: Black History, American HistoryMore from the archives of the Atlantic Monthly, a number of important, full-text essays including Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “The Negro is your brother” (popularly known as the “Letter from Birmingham Jail”)
- Google Cultural Institute: Black History and CultureGoogle has gathered together a vast collection of more than 4,000 online primary sources including documents, photographs, and other artifacts that illustrate African American history.
- The Martin Luther King, Jr. Research & Education InstituteIncludes King Papers, speeches, and online education for liberation curriculum. Resources include database for archival location of King-related documents, publications, and recommended readings.
- World Digital Library 1900-1950sSponsored by United Nations Educational Scientific & Cultural Organization and The Library of Congress.
Duke Ellington 1899-1974
Duke Ellington was an American composer, pianist, and leader of a jazz orchestra. He led the band for over 50 years creating songs he called American music. He created one of the most distinctive ensemble sounds in all of Western music. Source: Duke Ellington Encyclopedia Britannica
Septima Clark (1898-1987)
Septima Clark, known as the "Mother of the Movement" for her 30 years of teaching in South Carolina. She spent summers working on her education. Graduate of Atlanta University, Benedict College (SC), and Hampton Institute (VA). She worked with the YWCA and participated in Class Action suit with the NAACP for equal pay for black and white educators. After being fired from teaching in SC for 40 years because she refused to stop working with the NAACP, she began conducting classes focused on social justice. Source: King Institute Encyclopedia @ Stanford University