First published 2009
Petersburg stands apart in African American history. Before the Civil War, the Virginia city housed one of the South's largest free black populations. The Civil War's Siege of Petersburg drew more black soldiers than any other battle of the conflict. First Baptist Church, America's oldest black congregation, took root here. The Halifax Triangle became a bustling center of black commerce. Political pioneers emerged, including Virginia's first black mayor. Through photographs and documentation, Luqman-Dawson traces how Petersburg's African American residents built businesses, sustained their faith, and fought for civil rights. The book captures their entrepreneurial drive and their unwavering determination to overcome racial barriers that blocked their progress at every turn.
Genres: history, civil-war, 20th-century, african-american, 21st-century, 19th-century, american-history
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: historical-fiction, overcoming-adversity
Setting: Petersburg, Virginia, South
Period: 19th-Century, 20th-Century
128 pages · Paperback · Arcadia Publishing