From Oprah Winfrey to Angelina Jolie, George Clooney to Leonardo DiCaprio, Americans have come to expect that Hollywood celebrities will be outspoken advocates for social and political causes. However, that wasn’t always the case. As Emilie Raymond shows, during the civil rights movement the Stars for Freedom - a handful of celebrities both black and white - risked their careers by crusading for racial equality, and forged the role of celebrity in American political culture. Focusing on the “Leading Six” trailblazers - Harry Belafonte, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, Sammy Davis, Jr., Dick Gregory, and Sidney Poitier - Raymond reveals how they not only advanced the civil rights movement in front of the cameras, but also worked tirelessly behind the scenes, raising money for Martin Luther King, Jr.’s legal defense, leading membership drives for the NAACP, and personally engaging with workaday activists to boost morale. Through meticulous research, engaging writing, and new interviews with key players, Raymond traces the careers of the Leading Six against the backdrop of the movement. Perhaps most revealing is the new light she sheds on Sammy Davis, Jr., exploring how his controversial public image allowed him to raise more money for the movement than any other celebrity. The result is an entertaining and informative book that will appeal to film buffs and civil rights historians alike, as well as to anyone interested in the rise of celebrity power in American society. A Capell Family Book A V Ethel Willis White Book

Tells the stories and documents the contributions of African American women involved in the struggle for racial and gender equality through the civil rights and black power movements in the United States.

AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY COMES TO LIFE Discover why young people all over the country are reading the Black Stars biographies of African American heroes. Here is what you want to know about the lives of brave black men and women during the Civil Rights Movement: LOUIS "SATCHMO" ARMSTRONG MARY MCLEOD BETHUNE MAJOR GENERAL BENJAMIN O. DAVIS JR. W. E. B. DU BOIS LIEUTENANT HENRY O. FLIPPER MARCUS GARVEY MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. THURGOOD MARSHALL ROSA PARKS ADAM CLAYTON POWELL JR. PHILIP RANDOLPH PAUL ROBESON JACKIE ROBINSON BOOKER T. WASHINGTON IDA B. WELLS-BARNETT CARTER G. WOODSON WHITNEY M. YOUNG JR. "The books in the Black Stars series are the types of books that would have really captivated me as a kid." —Earl G. Graves, Black Enterprise magazine "Inspiring stories that demonstrate what can happen when ingenuity and tenacity are paired with courage and hard work." —Black Books Galore! Guide to Great African American Children's Books "Haskins has chosen his subjects well . . . catching a sense of the enormous obstacles they had to overcome. . . . Some names are familiar, but most are little-known whom Haskins elevates to their rightful place in history." —Booklist "The broad coverage makes this an unusual resource–a jumping-off point for deeper studies." —Horn Book

Examines the struggle for civil rights by African American women during the twentieth century

Offers a sweeping history of the civil rights movement in Atlanta from the end of World War II to 1980, arguing the motivations of the movement were much more complicated than simply a desire for integration.

An account of the black press from the first black newspaper to the integration of black journalists into the mainstream of American journalism.