Soul Soldiers: African Americans and the Vietnam Era Book

Even as African American men and women headed to Vietnam to fight for their country and to show their patriotism, they faced racism in the ranks, as did their families on the home front. This stunning book, which accompanies a traveling exhibit, looks at black life through the eyes of vets during the Civil Rights era by bringing together artifacts, poetry, fiction, oral histories, art, and riveting recollections that recall the horrors of war, the complexities of race, and the duality of African American life. With a foreword by Albert French, author of Patches of Fire, this book captures the spirit of the African American Vietnam experience and highlights the literary expression of Vietnam vets.

About the Author: Samuel W. Black is curator of African American Collections at the Senator John Heinz Pittsburgh Regional History Center and curator of the Soul Soldiers exhibit. He is a board member and chair of the program committee of the 2006 Association of African American Museums National Conference and Executive Council member of the Association for the Study of African American Life & History. He is co-author of the forthcoming Through the Lens of Allen E. Cole: African Americans in Cleveland.