Dodson is a leading scholar, writer and lecturer on African-American history, and he has assembled poems, prose, song lyrics and speeches to illustrate seminal moments and achievements within the diaspora. The author, who is also the director of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture at the New York Public Library, divides this volume into separate sections for the timeline of African-American history (including both global and the US diaspora) and the actual key texts, literary works and records that define this journey. Contributions from such noted African-Americans as Martin Luther King, Jr., Langston Hughes, James Baldwin, James Brown and Maya Angelou are included. Annotation ©2009 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
Far too many Americans, of all races, are unaware of the pivotal role that people of African descent have played in shaping the US and the world. Even less is known about the role of African peoples in the history of all humankind. Becoming American: The African-American Journey will open their eyes—and enlighten even the already knowledgeable. It features two side-by-side chronological timelines that uniquely contrast the major events and personalities in both African-American and Global/African Diasporan history—spanning from 4 million BCE to Barack Obama’s momentous presidential campaign. In addition, a carefully-chosen collection of key political, historical, cultural and literary texts, quotes, speeches, and songs document the impact of the black presence in American and world history.
