This factual account from the mouths of the women and men who lived (and still live) with racism is an important record. This book should serve as an eye-opener for smug northern individuals who feel that segregation and racism are artefacts of "the South" alone.

This book takes you into the homes and hearts of African Americans growing up in post-WWII Madison, Indiana. "All We Had Was Each Other" details the pain, the hard work, the persistence, and most of all the faith these people displayed in God, themselves, and their community. The firsthand accounts this author has collected will tear at your heart. This book is a must-have; the author has made wonderful use of primary sources, and the issues he raises are as real today as they were before the Civil Rights Movement.

To keep it plain and simple: After reading this book I've come to the conclusion that African-American history is an essential read, especially with this book. Often times, some of us may not think African-American history is rich or we may not really understand their situation in America today. This book changes that, it teaches that African-Americans have a rich history and that books like this must be read to understand their stance in American society today. GREAT BOOK.

I've used this book as a resource for teaching about slavery in an elementary school class. The thoughts conveyed are not the usual rhetoric presented in most lower level school social studies texts. Until recently children have not been exposed to the idea that slavery existed in parts of the world other than the USA. The long history of slavery - in the world and especially in Africa itself is new to many people. We learn much about slavery that has not before been related to school children, if not adults. The children in my classroom have been very absorbed by the thoughts presented in these pages. This is a must-read for Middle or High School students studying Aftican American history. As a teacher I would be sure to use it in my class.

Those serious about African-American and women's history MUST include this encyclopedia in their reference collections.

"Bound for Glory 1910-1930" is part of the "Milestones in Black American History," a 16-volume exploration of the black experience from Ancient Egypt to the present. Each volume focuses on a specific period of African-American history, and this book by Kerry Candaele covers the vast migration of blacks from the rural South to the cities of the North. Fifty years after the Emancipation Proclamation, racial segregation remained the norm in the South, which remained isolated and economically backward. During these two decades over a million black southerners moved north to escape the constraints of persecution, poverty, and cultural emptiness. Although they also faced racism and discrimination in the North, blacks made significant achievements in World War I, art, music, literature, political, business, entertainment, and sports. The result, Candaele argues, was that blacks forged a new respect for themselves and their African-American identity.

This volume offers eight chapters: (1) The Great Migration overviews the search for a less racist society with greater economic opportunities in the North; (2) Safe for Democracy? looks at the performance of blacks on the battlefields of World War I; (3) After the War looks at how white racists responded to the new racial pride of the blacks; (4) Marcus Garvey and Pan-Africanism focuses on the leader of the United Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) and one of the most important black figures between the wars; (5) That's Entertainment looks at not only comedies with Stepin Fetchit and "Our Gang," but birth of both the Harlem Globetrotters and the Negro Leagues of baseball players; (6) Harlem talks about the famous New York community, while; (7) Renaissance looks at the writers and artists, such as Langston Hughes and Louis Armstrong, that created the cultural explosion of the Twenties; and (8) A New Struggle Begins looks at the impact of the Great Depression. This book is illustrated with dozens of black & white photographs, not only of key black figures but also of race riots and lynchings.

These books are marvelous supplementary sources for American History textbooks for which the black experience is usually a relatively minor consideration. Yes, young students will read about familiar names like World Heavyweight Champion Jack Johnson, pitcher Satchel Paige and "Duke" Ellington, but they will also learn about World War I hero Sgt. Henry Johnson, author and teacher Jessie Fauset the "midwife of the Harlem Renaissance," and educator Mary McLeod Bethune. Candaele does an excellent telling the story of both these people and the times in which they lived.

"Milestones in Black American History" is a 16-volume exploration of the black experience from ancient Egypt to the present day, with each volume focusing on a specific period of African-American history. "Days of Sorrow, Years of Glory," focuses on the pivotal period between the slave revolt led by Nat Turner in southeastern Virginia in 1813 and the passage of the controversial Fugitive Slave Act by the U.S. Congress as part of the Great Compromise of 1850. Timothy J. Paulson contrasts the story of bondage in slavery for millions of African-Americans with the efforts of free blacks who produced an impressive array of industrial inventions, novels, music, sermons, newspapers, and political oratory. Paulson covers racist violence in the North, the foundation of the American Anti-Slavery Society, the murder of Elijah P. Lovejoy, the black bandmaster Frank Johnson, the Battle of Lockahatchee between the U.S. Army and a black-Seminole army, David Ruggles's first black magazine, the "Amistad" and "Creole" slave ship revolts, and more.

"Days of Sorrow, Years of Glory" goes beyond the most famous names in the struggle of black Americans for liberty (Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, Frederick Douglass) to tell about Norbert Rillieux, William Henry Lane, and Joseph Cinque. I was pretty well versed in the political side of the story in terms of how the nation got from the Missouri Compromise to the Great Compromise of 1850, but Paulson is focusing more on the social side of the struggle. As a result, it is rather surprising to see how much was happening in Black American History in the years before the decade leading up to the Civil War. This book is illustrated with contemporary etchings, drawings, cartoons, and photographs from the period, including a photograph of the Hanging Tree where Nat Turner was executed, the title page of a book written by Frederick Douglass, and a much-reprinted lithograph entitled "The Old Plantation" showing the South's idealized view of slavery. For classes, students and teachers who want more information about American History from the African-American perspective than they will find in their textbooks, this is an excellent series.

"Struggle and Love: 1972-1997, From the Gary Convention to the Aftermath of the Million Man March" is the sixteenth and final volume in the Milestones in Black American History series. Actually this volume covers milestones from Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm announcing her bid for the presidency in January 1972 and ends with the death of Secretary of Commerce Ron Brown in an airplane crash over Croatia in April 1996. Mary Hull covers a lot of ground in seven chapters.

(1) "Unity Without Uniformity" looks at the convention in Gary, Indiana in 1972 when eight thousand African-Americans delegates with diverse political goals. While they failed to crate a new black political party, let alone a single black political agenda, they were able to create a sense that "All things are possible." (2) "Mixing Southie and Roxbury" examines the forced integration in Boston that began in the fall of 1974 with the busing of students. (3) "To Get Beyond Racism" focuses on the issue of affirmative action, begun during the Kennedy and Johnson administrations and challenged by the 1978 Bakke decision that ruled the policy was essentially reverse discrimination. (4) "Rolling Up Their Sleeves" looks at the political success of blacks, from Jesse Jackson's Rainbow Coalition campaign for the presidency to the election of L. Douglas Wilder as governor of Virginia and Carol Mosley Braun to the U.S. Senate. (5) "From 'Roots' to Rap" looks at how African-Americans have transformed the culture of the country from Toni Morrison winning the Nobel prize for literature to Michael Jordan becoming the most famous athlete on the planet. (6) "Criminal Justice" contrasts the "Scottsboro Boys" being found innocent 45 years after their convictions with the Rodney King riots and the O.J. Simpson trial. (7) "Putting the Chain Back Together" looks at the Million Man March in October of 1995 conceived by Nation of Islam minister Louis Farrakhan as a fitting counterpart to the Gary Convention of the opening chapter.

Hull's focus in this volume is on the struggle for leadership and focus among African Americans who have to deal with the desire to build consensus and the necessity of accepting the diversity of black politics. In that regard, the "Unity Without Uniformity" slogan popularized at the Gary Convention holds true. By taking more of an issue-oriented approach than a standard chronology, Hull is able to focus on important themes that establish the current concerns of African Americans. This is certainly appropriate because once you get to the present you are no longer dealing with history, but rather with politics. "Struggle and Love" is illustrated with black & white photographs and underscores that during this period, more so than anytime before, blacks in the United States are able to set their own agendas, cognizant of the cultural and economic problems that continue to exist.

This book belongs in the library of every woman who desires to make an everlasting positive impact in her life, the lives of her family and community . The photos and stories captivated my friends and I, and empowered us with the knowledge that others had already travelled down roads of, similiar and worst, challenges and had come up with surprising strength, individuality and success. Thompson and Mac Austin in this book have given vast recognition to the lives of african-descended females.Their's are stories of mere strangers who existed decades upon decades ago and who are now encouraging on a new generation of 21st century women, a callaloo(mixture) of women from every branch of ethniticity , social-structure and religion. There are so many magnificent photos in this book that every reader can identify herself as at least one of these women.Their eyes and smiles, their clothing and expressions all tell a single story of a determination to create and enjoy a better life, whether on an individual or bigger scale. The spirit of this book motives us in the power that we can persevere and succeed because we are ancestorally, protector, provider, sustainer woman.I am an editor and wife and found this book a true asset in my personal and professional life. You are welcome to email me for a free copy of my minizine. I would also recommend books by Clarissa Pinkola Estes and Iyana Vanzant if you are looking to enrich your life's journey.These writers are not as "photogenic" as THE FACE OF OUR PAST.

These pictures of black women in America will touch you in many ways, and in some cases will rip your heart out. Each photograph has a story on the surface and another deep inside it, and some force you to think about them for a long time. Every person who's opened my copy of the book has looked at a few pictures and then gone "Omigod" when the right one hits home -- and it's always a different picture. The accompanying text is also thought-provoking -- quotes from women in historic and ground-breaking situations, women who have earned positions of authority, authors, and poets. Open any page and you're right back there -- with photographs of women living in slavery, with women fighting during the struggle for civil rights, with women trying to make the best of life, with women just trying to survive, with women finding joy in the midst of everything. It amazes and delights me that these two white women decided to put together such a remarkable chronicle about black women, recognizing that the history of the black woman in America is every American's history.

Painstakingly and obviously LOVINGLY researched, this book is a compendium of magnificent archival photographs and editorial commentary. Despite the fact that this is a non-fiction piece and a seemingly narrow area of focus, this book will appeal to every reader regardless of race or sex. The Face of Our Past reads like a juicy collection of information and glimpses into the life of someone famous, which makes the humanity and "ordinary-ness" of these women really stand out. I couldn't get enough! I'm also ordering the first book Ms. Thompson wrote called "A Shining Thread of Hope". I glanced at it recently in a local bookstore and (even though it's a non-fiction history piece) it reads like a NOVEL! I can't wait to see how the story is woven! Wow what a pair of books!

It is close to impossible to reconstruct a history of African Americans. Indeed, part of our common American heritage is the destruction and unrecorded depiction of non-European and non-male histories. The authors have dilligently researched their stories and they are to be congratulated for their tenacity. However, the book fails to elicit "hope" from the reader. The writing is dry and unimaginative. With such a lively history, it is a shame that it reads like a dead history. The most egregious flaw in the book, however, is not found in its writing style but rather in how the authors attempt to boost the qualities of the women portrayed in the book by drawing comparisons between the accomplishment of these women and the accomplishments of men and white women. This is a completely unnecessary element. The accomplishments of these African American women stand on their own. The purpose of the book is largely diminished because the authors have touted "whiteness" or "maleness" as standards. "Whiteness" and "maleness" are not standards by my measure and should not be used as one, particularly in a book about black women. I would hope that the authors eliminate their references and comparisons to men and white women in future editions so that the history of these women can be properly relayed to future generations.

Rich in historiography as well as history. An excellent resource for any US History teacher or student. Information is easy to find, the bibliography is extensive and the annotations are informative. All of this and I looked forward to reading each page!

This riveting narrative, a kind of polyphonic chorus giving voice to American black women, adds an important chapter in the ongoing project of understanding our nation's history. Covering a span of almost 400 years, the work moves beyond stereotypes, beyond idealization, to recognize the richness of the stories they tell. With superbly crafted prose, the authors document difficulties and challenges along with achievements and triumphs as they interpret the profound complexities of gender, race and class in the lives of African American women.