African-American Athletes in Arkansas

Sports has long been a powerful agent for change in American society. For the first time, the heritage of one region is examined through these lens. African-American Athletes in Arkansas brings to light forgotten figures and cultural giants who helped change the nation. These narrative non-fiction, primary sourced stories include: An in-depth look at the evolution of various strands of black nationalism as seen through Muhammad Ali's college lecture tour in Arkansas A national assessment of the lingering issue of integrating the sports records of all-black schools with those of their historical all-white counterparts The inspiring story behind NBA pioneer "Sweetwater" Clifton, who grew up near the Delta, attended DuSable High in Chicago and then starred for the New York Knicks The college football boycott of the "Black 14" in Wyoming, which thrust issues of race relations, civil rights and sports into the national limelight The would-be Razorback pioneer Eddie Miles, who went on to star for Seattle University and the Detroit Pistons How Arkansan African Americans helped fuel the Green Bay Packers' NFL dynasty of the 1960s How Satchel Paige, the great Negro Leagues icon, and Dizzy Dean, the St. Louis Cardinals superstar, helped lay the groundwork for the Civil Rights Movement How black Arkansas natives helped power a championship baseball team against all-white competition in Butte, Montana in the Great Depression This one-of-a-kind anthology, which also showcases an original feature on Fayetteville's forgotten "Black Razorbacks" of the Great Depression, includes articles from Slate, Arkansas Life, the Arkansas Times and more. These stories break new ground, illuminating some of the profound socioeconomic, educational and religious forces which shape the lives of all Americans -- black, white, Hispanic, Southerner and non-Southerner alike -- to this day.