From Publishers Weekly
For those who would question the continued need for historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in a "post–civil rights era," Williams (Eyes on the Prize), a senior correspondent for NPR, and Ashley, president of the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund, offer this celebration of those institutions. Beginning with a look at newly freed African-Americans' yearnings for education and the Freedman's Bureau's early attempts to gauge the need (and support) for black schools, the authors move forward to profile the 100-plus HBCUs operating today. They highlight the many HBCU students who rose to prominence, from the Harlem Renaissance's brilliant Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston to the present day's media superstars Oprah Winfrey and Ed Bradley, filmmaker Spike Lee and political leaders David Dinkins and Vernon Jordan. They argue that HBCUs "were often hubs for African American communities, with black-owned businesses springing up to serve the students... [and staff] making their homes around the schools" and suggest that "HBCUs are the heart of black political thinking, art, and culture." Filled with history and anecdote, this volume offers a walk through the past and a peek at the future of America through the gift of HBCUs and their graduates. Photos. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.


From Booklist
Given the obstacles to educating slaves and freedmen, historically black colleges and universities have defied the notion that blacks could not or should not be educated. The authors provide the historical context for the yearning for education to advance the individual and the race. They trace the origins of black colleges and universities and the influences of abolitionists, black churches, white missionaries, and philanthropists from the colonial era, through the Port Royal experiment on the eve of the Civil War, through Reconstruction. The debate between W. E. B. DuBois and Booker T. Washington, pitting liberal arts against vocational education, influenced the emphasis of black colleges for generations to come, even as institutions faced changes wrought by desegregation, the civil rights movement, and the black power movement. The book includes brief sketches of the 108 colleges and universities as well as brief profiles of their more prominent graduates, including Martin Luther King Jr and Oprah Winfrey. Photographs, historical narrative, and archival materials add to the value of this important resource. Vanessa Bush
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved


Philadelphia Tribune
"A touching statement to the glorious tradition HBCUs continue to maintain."


Cincinnati Herald
"A fascinating work of great scope and great detail."


Booklist
"An important resource."


BookPage
"An authoritative survey."


Book Description

From Juan Williams, author of Eyes on the Prize, and the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund comes a must-have gift book and definitive resource that explores the historical, social, and cultural importance of America's 107 historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs).

HBCUs have graduated such illustrious leaders as Oprah Winfrey, Thurgood Marshall, Spike Lee, W. E. B. DuBois, Debbie Allen, Alain Locke, Samuel L. Jackson, and Nikki Giovanni. This commemorative illustrated gift book is filled with photographs, historical narrative, personal memoir, archival and contemporary material, and anecdotal and resource information. It is the first of its kind -- a groundbreaking retrospective that explores the dramatic development and history of America's historically black colleges and universities.

Stories abound about the abolition of slavery. However, lesser known are the efforts -- both prior to and after the Civil War -- of African American and white abolitionists banding together to formally educate newly freed slaves. Through the tireless work of government organizations, black churches, missionary groups, and philanthropists, HBCUs were established. The tales of how these schools were created and of the individuals who are linked to the schools' histories are extraordinarily rich -- and sometimes controversial. In an unprecedented salute to America's 107 historically black colleges and universities, I'll Find a Way or Make One chronicles the formation of the black middle class, the history of education in the African American community, and some of the most important events of African Americana and American history.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

From Juan Williams, author of Eyes on the Prize, and the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund comes a must-have gift book and definitive resource that explores the historical, social, and cultural importance of America's 107 historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). HBCUs have graduated such illustrious leaders as Oprah Winfrey, Thurgood Marshall, Spike Lee, W. E. B. DuBois, Debbie Allen, Alain Locke, Samuel L. Jackson, and Nikki Giovanni. This commemorative illustrated gift book is filled with photographs, historical narrative, personal memoir, archival and contemporary material, and anecdotal and resource information. It is the first of its kind -- a groundbreaking retrospective that explores the dramatic development and history of America's historically black colleges and universities. Stories abound about the abolition of slavery.

However, lesser known are the efforts -- both prior to and after the Civil War -- of African American and white abolitionists banding together to formally educate newly freed slaves. Through the tireless work of government organizations, black churches, missionary groups, and philanthropists, HBCUs were established. The tales of how these schools were created and of the individuals who are linked to the schools' histories are extraordinarily rich -- and sometimes controversial. In an unprecedented salute to America's 107 historically black colleges and universities, I'll Find a Way or Make One chronicles the formation of the black middle class, the history of education in the African American community, and some of the most important events of African Americana and American history.

SYNOPSIS

From Juan Williams, author of Eyes on the Prize, comes a must-have definitive reference and gift book that explores the historical, social and cultural importance of America's 108 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) through personal interviews, historical narrative, photographs, and comprehensive reference material.

I'll Find a Way or Make One is a groundbreaking reading book featuring 200 black & white photographs. It explores the dramatic development and history of America's 108 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) through photos, historical memoir, anecdotal information, archival and contemporary materials, and personal interviews.

Stories abound about the abolishment of slavery. However, lesser known are the efforts--both prior to and after the Civil War--of African-American and white abolitionists banding together to formerly educate newly freed slaves. In 1861, the 28 known Black graduates went to the island of Port Royal, South Carolina, to take part in this educational experiment. The 18-month program and subsequent article that ran in Atlanta Monthly were instrumental in the government's commitment to educate Blacks after the war. Through the government, tireless work of Black churches, White missionary organizations and philanthropists, HBCUs were established. The tales of how these schools were created and the individuals who are linked to their histories are rich and often controversial These tales are the crux of I'll Find a Way or Make One.

HBCUs have come to be known as the backbone of America's Black middle class. Most importantly, I'll Find a Way or Make One reveals how the social and cultural atmosphere fostered at these institutions ultimately played a major role in shaping African Americana.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

For those who would question the continued need for historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in a "post-civil rights era," Williams (Eyes on the Prize), a senior correspondent for NPR, and Ashley, president of the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund, offer this celebration of those institutions. Beginning with a look at newly freed African-Americans' yearnings for education and the Freedman's Bureau's early attempts to gauge the need (and support) for black schools, the authors move forward to profile the 100-plus HBCUs operating today. They highlight the many HBCU students who rose to prominence, from the Harlem Renaissance's brilliant Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston to the present day's media superstars Oprah Winfrey and Ed Bradley, filmmaker Spike Lee and political leaders David Dinkins and Vernon Jordan. They argue that HBCUs "were often hubs for African American communities, with black-owned businesses springing up to serve the students... [and staff] making their homes around the schools" and suggest that "HBCUs are the heart of black political thinking, art, and culture." Filled with history and anecdote, this volume offers a walk through the past and a peek at the future of America through the gift of HBCUs and their graduates. Photos. (Nov.) FYI: Royalties from the sale of this volume will go to the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

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