Whether assisting escapes through the Underground Railroad, forming banks, publishing a newspaper, or providing recreational facilities, Portsmouth's African Americans created one of the most stable middle-class black communities in America.
African Americans in Portsmouth built a strong, insulated community because they were cognizant of the need to look inward. Early 20th-century leaders such as Dr. William Reid, Nancy T. Wheeler, and the Reverend Harvey N. Johnson Sr. were civic models and guiding forces for a community emerging from the ravages of slavery, and enduring the hardships of segregation.
Black America: Portsmouth, Virginia captures the world of an ever-changing community and a people who persevered, no matter the odds.
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Pages: 128
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Publisher: Arcadia Publishing Inc.
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Imprint: Arcadia Publishing
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Series: Black America Series
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Publication Date: 18th October 2003
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Illustrations Note: Black and White
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ISBN: 9780738515816
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Format: Paperback
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BISACs:
PHOTOGRAPHY / Subjects & Themes / Historical
SOCIAL SCIENCE / Ethnic Studies / African American Studies
HISTORY / United States / State & Local / South (AL, AR, FL, GA, KY, LA, MS, NC, SC, TN, VA, WV)
