Black men and women have been integral parts of Maine culture and society since the beginning of the colonial era. Indeed, Mainers of African descent served in every American conflict from the King Philip's War to the present. However, the many contributions of blacks in shaping Maine and the nation have, for a number of reasons, gone largely unacknowledged. Maine's Visible Black History now uncovers and reveals a rich and long-neglected strata of state history and proves a very real connection to regional and national events. Drawing on the excellent writing of contributors Herb Adams, William David Barry, Beverly Dodge Bowens, Stephen Ellis, Leigh Donaldson, Bob Greene, Douglas Hall, Charles L. Lumpkins, Reginald Pitts, Marcia Robinson, Geneva McAuley Sherrer, Helene Ertha Vann, and others, the project covers many facets of history including slavery in Maine (which lasted until 1783), work, religions, family, education, military service, community, social change, arts and science, sports, politics, law, civil rights, underground railroad, and the contributions of individual men and women. There are appendices, resources for students, and an index. The book's extraordinary illustrations document black life from Aroostook County to York County through the centuries.
Authors/Editors Price and Talbot, with the many contributing writers, are owed a lasting debt. They have given us a substantive, often poignant volume that deserves a place on every Maine bookshelf. Never again will anyone seriously suggest that black people have played little or no role in the development of Maine.
