Towering African-American scholar and civil rights campaigner Du Bois (1868-1963) described the achievements of African Americans and their contributions to US history and culture in 1924, when Jim Crow laws and segregated schools were the norm, and most people believed without thinking that only white Protestant males could be American heroes. His message must be sent again every generation until it is no longer news. Among the areas he surveys are Black explorers, labor, the emancipation of democracy, the freedom of womanhood, Negro art and literature, and the gift of the spirit. Annotation ©2009 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)