Africana /African American Studies Subject Guide

Biographical Information

 

13 resources available
restricted - Restricted to WMU users open access - Open Access

100 Great Africans

DT 18 .R34 1994 (Ref)
Arranged chronologically in 11 different chapters, this book attempts to tell the stories of the greatest 100 Africans, both past and present. The first chapter begins with a number of the great pharaohs of Egypt and ends with some of the "living greats" such as Nelson Mandela, Robert Mugabe, and Julius Nyerere.


African American Biographical Database restricted Biographical profiles, full-text sketches and photographs of prominent African Americans from all walks of life between 1790-1950.

African American Lives

E 185.96 .A446 2004 (Ref)
Includes brief biographical articles of 611 men and women, spanning four centuries.  The volume contains many photographs and historical illustrations, and each entry has a useful bibliography. There are several excellent indexes at the end, including subjects by category or area of renown; a list of African American prizewinners, medalists, members of Congress, and judges; and a comprehensive subject and name index.

African Biographical Dictionary
DT 18 .B76 1994 (Ref)
This one-volume book offers short biographies of nearly 500 prominent sub-Saharan Africans from all walks of life and all periods of history, including the present day. There are several useful indexes in the back, including nations and major leaders; entries divided by countries; and a list of entries by fields of significance.

African-American Political Leaders
E 185.96 .C18 2004 (Ref)
Contains biographical sketches of significant African American political leaders from the mid-nineteenth century until the early 1990s. All entries include a bibliography for further reading and many include a photograph of the individual. Unfortunately, this book was published just before Barack Obama hit the American political scene.

Biographies Plus Illustrated restricted Contains more than 145,000 biographies and more than 36,000 photographs. Includes full text articles from Current Biography and other biographical sources. Many of the biographies have links to other sources and citations to articles.

Contemporary Black Biography

E 185.96 .C66 (Ref)
This expanding set, currently numbering more than 60 volumes, provides biographical essays about influential people of African descent around the globe who have made significant contributions in their own countries and/or worldwide. Each entry includes a photograph and sources for additional reading. Use the nationality, occupation, subject, and name indexes in the last volume to find the person you are looking for.


Dictionary of African Historical Biography

DT352.6 .L56 1986 (Ref)
This book contains brief biographical entries for prominent persons in sub-Saharan African history, including a supplement of post-1960 leaders. Included are all kinds of luminaries, including political, military, labor, religious, rulers, traders, explorers, and educators. There is a solid bibliography at the end, along with subject and name indexes.


Dictionary of American Negro Biography
E 185.96 .L6 1982 (Ref)
As is evident from the title, this reference book is a bit old, but remains a classic in African American history, providing biographies of 186 people. It does not include any living persons as of January 1, 1970, so as to permit a better perspective of the individual's career and contribution to American life. The volume includes many people not well known in the white world, but who played significant roles in the separate lives of black Americans as a result of segregation. Each entry includes bibliographical references for further reading.

Notable Black American Men
E185.86 .N68 1999 (Reference Desk Collection)
This work includes biographical essays on approximately 500 African American men from colonial days through the 1990s. Each entry discusses the person's contributions in American history and includes references for further reading. At the end of the book are geographic, occupation, and subject indexes.


Notable Black American Women

E 185.96 .N68 1992 (Reference Desk Collection)
This 2-volume set includes signed articles on over 500 women born between 1730 and 1958. Each entry discusses the individual's contributions to American life and includes bibliographic references. There are also useful indexes by subject and area of endeavor.

Who's Who Among African Americans

E 185.96 .W47x (Reference Desk Collection)
Arranged in typical Who's Who fashion, this book contains brief biographies of over 21,000 African American men and women who have changed today's world and are shaping the world of tomorrow. There are obituraries at the end of the volume, along with detailed geographic and occupation indexes.


Who's Who on the Web restricted Provides brief, usually up to date and usually reliable biographical information about more than 1.3 million people. Entries focus on frequently needed facts, such as birthdates, education, career, publications, and other objective data supplied by the individual to the editors. Who's Who in America biographies go back to 1607. The coverage of the rest of the Marquis Who's Who series is from 1985 to the present.

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