Description
Book SynopsisThe African-American Community's Battle to Combat the U.S. Naval Academy's Legacy of Racism
Trade Review"This richly researched and judiciously written study facilitates deeper comprehension of how institutional racism preserved white hegemony in the U.S. Navy until Midshipman Wesley Brown detonated its color barrier." -- Darlene Clark Hine,author of A Shining Thread of Hope: The History of Black Women in America
"Describes for the first time the difficulties Wesley Brown endured and the concerted effort by a & tight knot of Southern upperclassmen to oust him using racial epithets, ostracism, and demerits." * Washington Post *
"This detailed story is one that has been long overdue in being told. Dr. Schneller has told it exceedingly well." * Proceedings/U.S. Naval Institute *
"A marvelous book. Schneller takes what might first appear to be a fairly narrow topic and offers a sweeping, well-researched account which places the question of race at the Naval Academy in the context of the Navy and the nation." * International Journal of Maritime History *
"Not only has [Schneller] given us his remarkable insight into one man's story of courage, perseverance and determination, but he has framed that dramatic experience within the larger narration of American race relations in the twentieth century. Anyone desiring a more complete understanding of African Americans' struggle to desegregate the armed forces will find this book indispensable." * Journal of American History *
Table of ContentsPreface AcknowledgmentsPart I The Glorious Failure: Reconstruction and the Naval Academy, 1872-18761 "Not ... Their Equals Socially" 2 "Speechless Walls as Companions" Part II Persona Non Grata: Jim Crow and the Naval Academy, 1877-19413 Segregation by Occupation 4 "Railroaded Out of Navy" 5 "They Shall Not Pass" Part III Breaking the Color Barrier: World War II and the First Black Graduate, 1942-19496 Racial Policy "Revolution" 7 The Greater Challenge 8 Demerits by the Bucketful 9 Success and Celebrity Conclusion Notes Bibliography Index About the Author
