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Vermelle Diamond Ely, Grace Hoey Drain, and Amy Rogers, Charlotte, North Carolina, The Black America Series (Arcadia Publishing, Charleston, S.C. 2001) 128 pgs.

 The Charlotte installment of Arcadia’s Black America Series brings us a new and valuable photo essay on the African American experience in Charlotte and is a welcomed addition to the growing body of works on the history of Charlotte.  This new book expands the pictorial history An African American Album: The Black Experience in Charlotte and Mecklenburg County, Volumes 1 and 2, (1992) and provides an emphasis which sets it apart: a section on prominent African American Charlotteans who were recognized leaders at local, regional and national levels.  The book is organized into the following sections:  Portrait of a People, Learning for a Lifetime, The Soul of Black Charlotte, Life in the City, For the Love of the Game, Business and Commerce, Civic and Social Life, and Turning Points.  Because the book is based on a visual presentation of the rich social and cultural heritage of Charlotte’s African American community, some of the photos could easily be placed in more than one section.  Although it is only a minor drawback, photographs are not always presented chronologically within sections.  It can be distracting to jump back and forth between decades on consecutive pages.

 Nonetheless, this paperback contains a wealth of fascinating photographs, many of which were culled from local private, family collections and are presented here for public viewing for the first time. These photographs illustrate many different aspects of African American urban life in Charlotte, ranging from the late 19^th through mid-20^th Century.  The photos chosen are engaging, compelling, and fascinating.  Several group photographs such as that found on the front cover merit extensive scrutiny.  Each face seems to tell a story while the clothing, jewelry, and hairstyles evoke a period sometimes long distant.  One of the earliest photographs dating to c.1898 is also one of the most distinctive.  Before becoming patriarch of a prominent Charlotte family, Sgt. Maj. Zechariah Alexander of the 3^rd N.C. Infantry posed in his Spanish-American War uniform, looking self-assured and confident.  Ely, Drain, and Rogers have successfully brought together an impressive set of photographs.   

This is a significant book of Charlotte history, providing us with many images which bring alive the African American experience from the late 19^th Century to the first half of the 20^th Century when photographs became a part of everyday life.  African American contributions to and existence within the Charlotte community are not well known to all Charlotteans and it is a pleasure to see this book help disseminate this information.  If you concern yourself in any way shape or form with the history of Charlotte, this book deserves a place on your bookshelf.

Annette Snapp, Ph.D.

Archaeological Consultant to the York County Culture & Heritage Commission