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My Face Is Black Is True by Mary Frances Berry
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My Face Is Black Is True

Callie House and the Struggle for Ex-Slave Reparations

Callie House and the Struggle for Ex-Slave Reparations

By Mary Frances Berry

By Mary Frances Berry

By Mary Frances Berry

By Mary Frances Berry

Best Seller
Paperback $16.95

Oct 10, 2006 | ISBN 9780307277053

Ebook $13.99

Jul 16, 2009 | ISBN 9780307538710

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    My Face Is Black Is True by Mary Frances Berry
    Paperback $16.95
    Oct 10, 2006 | ISBN 9780307277053

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    • Paperback $16.95

      Oct 10, 2006 | ISBN 9780307277053

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      Jul 16, 2009 | ISBN 9780307538710

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    About My Face Is Black Is True

    Acclaimed historian Mary Frances Berry resurrects the remarkable story of ex-slave Callie House who, seventy years before the civil-rights movement, demanded reparations for ex-slaves. A widowed Nashville washerwoman and mother of five, House (1861-1928) went on to fight for African American pensions based on those offered to Union soldiers, brilliantly targeting $68 million in taxes on seized rebel cotton and demanding it as repayment for centuries of unpaid labor. Here is the fascinating story of a forgotten civil rights crusader: a woman who emerges as a courageous pioneering activist, a forerunner of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr.

    About My Face Is Black Is True

    Acclaimed historian Mary Frances Berry resurrects the remarkable story of ex-slave Callie House who, seventy years before the civil-rights movement, demanded reparations for ex-slaves. A widowed Nashville washerwoman and mother of five, House (1861-1928) went on to fight for African American pensions based on those offered to Union soldiers, brilliantly targeting $68 million in taxes on seized rebel cotton and demanding it as repayment for centuries of unpaid labor. Here is the fascinating story of a forgotten civil rights crusader: a woman who emerges as a courageous pioneering activist, a forerunner of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr.

    Read An Excerpt

    Read An Excerpt

    Also by Mary Frances Berry

    And Justice for All
    The Pig Farmer's Daughter and Other Tales of American Justice
    Black Resistance/White Law
    The Politics of Parenthood
    See all books by Mary Frances Berry

    Also by Mary Frances Berry

    And Justice for All
    The Pig Farmer's Daughter and Other Tales of American Justice
    Black Resistance/White Law
    The Politics of Parenthood
    See all books by Mary Frances Berry

    About Mary Frances Berry

    Mary Frances Berry was born in Nashville, Tennessee. She received a bachelor’s and master’s degree from Howard University, a doctorate in history from the University of Michigan, and a juris doctor degree from the University of Michigan Law School. Dr. Berry… More about Mary Frances Berry

    About Mary Frances Berry

    Mary Frances Berry was born in Nashville, Tennessee. She received a bachelor’s and master’s degree from Howard University, a doctorate in history from the University of Michigan, and a juris doctor degree from the University of Michigan Law School. Dr. Berry… More about Mary Frances Berry

    Product Details

    Category: Biography & Memoir | History

    Paperback | $16.95
    Published by Vintage
    Oct 10, 2006 | 336 Pages | 5-3/16 x 8 | ISBN 9780307277053

    Category: Biography & Memoir | History

    Ebook | $13.99
    Published by Vintage
    Jul 16, 2009 | 336 Pages | ISBN 9780307538710
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    Praise

    “Fascinating. . . . Berry has brought this leader from obscurity and given her cause the recognition it deserves. No one can fully understand the history of the reparations movement without reading this book.” —The Washington Post Book World

    “A treat for history lovers. . . .[Berry] paints a vivid picture of the reparations struggle in an era when 2 millions ex-slaves were still alive. . . . Eye-opening, well-crafted.” —The Plain Dealer

    “Remarkable. . . . Berry has done a brilliant job of documenting the life of Callie House. . . . This is an incredible story and one that truly deserves to be more than mere footnote in our history texts. . . . Authentic and essential.” —Tucson Citizen

    Awards

    New York Public Library Books for the Teen Age WINNER

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