"Originally published in 1994, Black Firsts inspired readers of all ages. An epic record of African American achievement, it testified to a rich but often overlooked part of our history. Jessie Carney Smith, William and Camille Cosby Professor of the Humanities at Fisk University, greatly expands the new edition with more than 1,000 new stories of a people overcoming adversity to emerge triumphant. With more than 100 illustrations, Black Firsts includes modern-day pioneers like Halle Berry and Denzel Washington, Suzan-Lori Parks (winner of the 2002 Pulitzer Prize for drama), and Vonetta Flowers, the first African American to be awarded the Winter Olympic gold medal. Readers will revel and rejoice in the stories of barrier-breaking pioneers in all fields -- arts, entertainment, business, civil rights, education, government, inventing, journalism, religion, science, sports, and more."