Located just outside of St. Louis, Kinloch was once a community locked off from the rest of the area by natural and man-made barriers. In spite of a lack of financial resources, it once provided its residents with a school district, city hall, post office, business district, and recreational facilities. Residents will recognize Dunbar Elementary, the oldest school for blacks in St. Louis County, Holy Angels, the oldest continuing black parish in the St. Louis Archdiocese, as well as former residents Congresswoman Maxine Waters and political activist Dick Gregory. Eventually, due to insufficient revenue, this once thriving community fell into decline, and is now struggling to keep its small town values and ideals alive.

Kinloch: Missouri's First All Black Town (MO) (Black America Series)

Arts & Photography

Wright Sr., John A.

Photography & Video

Arcadia Publishing

A few miles from downtown St. Louis, The Ville was once locked off from much of the area. In spite of racial obstacles, this small community became nationally known as the cradle of black culture and intellect in St. Louis. Current and former residents will recognize photographs of Sumner High School and Homer G. Phillips Hospital, as well as many famous former residents. Over the years this once thriving community fell into decline, and is now struggling to recapture some of its former glory.

The Ville: St. Louis (MO) (Black America Series)

Since the founding of St. Louis in 1764, Downtown St. Louis has been a center of black cultural, economic, political, and legal achievements that have shaped not only the city of St. Louis, but the nation as well. From James Beckworth, one of the founders of Denver, Colorado, to Elizabeth Keckley, Mary Todd Lincoln's seamstress and author of the only behind-the-scenes account of Lincoln's White House years, black residents of Downtown St. Louis have made an indelible mark in American history. From the monumental Dred Scott case to entertainers such as Josephine Baker, Downtown St. Louis has been home to many unforgettable faces, places, and events that have shaped and strengthened the American experience for all.

African Americans in Downtown St. Louis (MO) (Black America Series)

The first civil government in Florissant was established in 1786, three years before the United States adopted its constitution and George Washington was elected the country's first president. French farmers and fur trappers looked upon the land and called it the "Valle Fleurissant"-which is to say, "the flowering or fertile valley." The community remained small until after World War II. Between 1950 and 1980, the population grew from 3,737 to 76,754. Today the community strives to preserve its proud heritage and build on the strength of its diverse population. The historic images in this book illustrate the city's founding and development, from the first French settlers to the post World War II building boom to the exciting new city of today.

Florissant (MO) (Images of America)

Arcadia Publishing (SC)

Since the founding of St. Louis, African Americans have lived in communities throughout the area. Although St. Louis' 1916 "Segregation of the Negro Ordinance" was ruled unconstitutional, African Americans were restricted to certain areas through real estate practices such as steering and red lining. Through legal efforts in the court cases of Shelley v. Kraemer in 1948, Jones v. Mayer in 1978, and others, more housing options became available and the population dispersed. Many of the communities began to decline, disappear, or experience urban renewal.

St. Louis: Disappearing Black Communities (MO) (Black America Series)

Clement Delor de Treget, a Frenchman, founded Carondelet in 1767 and named the village in honor of Baron Francis Louis de Carondelet, the Spanish governor of the Louisiana Territory. Due to its prime location at the confluence of the River Des Peres and the Mississippi River, Carondelet attracted a wide array of industries and a diverse population where racial lines were often blurred and ethnic groups peacefully coexisted. The community has contributed greatly to American history from the site of construction of the Civil War ironclad boats to the location of the American kindergarten movement. Today the community is striving to preserve its proud heritage and build on the strength of its diverse population. The historic images in this book illustrate the city’s founding and development from the first French settlers to the coming of Germans, Irish, Italians, African Americans, and Spanish, its annexation to the city of St. Louis in 1870, its economic hardships, and its present revitalization.

Carondelet (Images of America: Missouri)

Wright, Sylvia A.

Since its very beginnings, St. Louis has been at the forefront of America's struggle for equality. Many people have contributed to the fight for justice both in and outside of the courtroom by challenging the country to live up to the ideals outlined in the Declaration of Independence. St. Louisans have fought for civil rights in housing, property, education, health care, voting rights, and criminal justice, creating landmark cases that have reshaped America. The fight has not been without victories but has often been laced with tragedy, pain, and suffering. St. Louisans have always been a driving force for change. St. Louis was the site of some of the earliest civil rights protests before Missouri entered statehood in the early 1800s. George Vaughn fought in the Supreme Court to end restrictive covenants and housing discrimination in the 1940s. Unarmed Michael Brown's death brought attention to the area, placing the Black Lives Matter movement in the nation's forefront in 2014. The civil rights movement in St. Louis illustrates the unfinished work to live up to America's promise.

Civil Rights in St. Louis (Images of America)

Wright Jr., John A.

Wright Sr., Curtis A.

The city of St. Louis is known for its African American citizens and their many contributions to the culture within its borders, the country, and the world. Images of Modern America: African American St. Louis profiles some of the events that helped shape St. Louis from the 1960s to the present. Tracing key milestones in the city's history, this book attempts to pay homage to those African Americans who sacrificed to advance fair socioeconomic conditions for all. In the closing decades of the Great Migration north, the civil rights movement was taking place nationally; simultaneously, St. Louis's African Americans were organizing to exert political power for greater control over their destiny. Protests, voter registration, and elections to public office opened new doors to the city's African Americans. It resulted in the movement for fairness in hiring practices and the expansion of the African American presence in sports, education, and entertainment.

African American St. Louis (Images of Modern America)

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Books by Wright Sr., John A.