Download or read book African American Firsts written by Joan Potter and published by Dafina Books. This book was released on 2009 with total page 464 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Excluded from history books, overlooked in classrooms and neglected by the media, African Americans have long been denied an accurate picture of their contributions to America, from colonial days to the present. But times have changed and the record can now be set straight. From the inventors of the traffic light and the gas mask to winners of an Oscar and the Olympic gold, this authoritative resource reveals over 450 'firsts' by African Americans - wonderful accomplishments achieved despite poverty, discrimination and racism.