CLOSURE: Central Library will be closed Tuesday, July 21, through Saturday, July 25, while emergency repairs are made to the building’s cooling system. We expect to reopen Monday, July 27. Click for more details on holds, program schedules, and returns during the closure. 

The Black family who built America : the McKissacks, two centuries of daring pioneers

Call Number

  • 929.2 D1842 (CEN, OSH, POW, WSQ)

Browse similar titles by call number

Edition

First Black Privilege Publishing/Atria books hardcover edition.

Publication Information

New York : Black Privilege Publishing / Atria, 2025.

Physical Description

xxiv, 263 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (chiefly color) ; 24 cm

Summary

Traces six generations from slavery to industry leadership, chronicling the McKissack family's enduring legacy in architecture and construction, highlighting their resilience, innovation, and contributions to landmark American projects amid ongoing challenges of racial discrimination and structural inequality.

Contents

  • McKissack & McKissack
  • Two in a million
  • Hollywood to Tennessee
  • Too big to be small
  • 1929 and back
  • "I ain't going into the Black bathroom"
  • "Financial clearance"
  • "It's like we're in heaven"
  • What it takes
  • Family business
  • Sisterly love
  • The right kind of monument
  • I'm a survivor
  • Strange bedfellows
  • A whole new ballgame
  • Back to school.

Added Authors

Nick Chiles