African American Topeka - Paperback

by Sherrita J. Camp (Author)

African Americans arrived in Topeka right before and after the Civil War and again in large numbers during the Exodus Movement of 1879 and Great Migration of 1910. They came in protest of the treatment they received in the South. The history of dissent lived on in Topeka, as it became the home to court cases protesting discrimination of all kinds. African Americans came to the city determined that education would provide them a better life. Black educators fostered a sense of duty toward schooling, and in 1954 Topeka became a landmark for African Americans across the country with the Brown vs. Topeka Board of Education case. Blacks from every walk of life found refuge in Kansas and, especially, Topeka. The images in African American Topeka have been selected to give the reader a glimpse into the heritage of black life in the community. The richness of the culture and values of this Midwestern city are a little-known secret just waiting to be exhibited.

Author Biography

Author and historian Sherrita Camp has explored black heritage going back to the days of slavery and the Exodus of 1879. Her extensive family research into the lives of Topekans has allowed her to share with the reader a unique approach to African Americans in Topeka through genealogy.