I'll Find a Way or Make One: A Tribute to Historically Black Colleges and Universities

From Juan Williams, author of Eyes on the Prize, and the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund comes a must-have gift book and definitive resource that explores the historical, social, and cultural importance of America's 107 historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs).

HBCUs have graduated such illustrious leaders as Oprah Winfrey, Thurgood Marshall, Spike Lee, W. E. B. DuBois, Debbie Allen, Alain Locke, Samuel L. Jackson, and Nikki Giovanni. This commemorative illustrated gift book is filled with photographs, historical narrative, personal memoir, archival and contemporary material, and anecdotal and resource information. It is the first of its kind -- a groundbreaking retrospective that explores the dramatic development and history of America's historically black colleges and universities.

Stories abound about the abolition of slavery. However, lesser known are the efforts -- both prior to and after the Civil War -- of African American and white abolitionists banding together to formally educate newly freed slaves. Through the tireless work of government organizations, black churches, missionary groups, and philanthropists, HBCUs were established. The tales of how these schools were created and of the individuals who are linked to the schools' histories are extraordinarily rich -- and sometimes controversial. In an unprecedented salute to America's 107 historically black colleges and universities, I'll Find a Way or Make One chronicles the formation of the black middle class, the history of education in the African American community, and some of the most important events of African Americana and American history.

Dwayne Ashley is president and CEO of the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund (TMSF), an agency that provides scholarships, endowment-building assistance, and education and employment programs to HBCUs. Under his agency, TMSF has built relationships with the Coca-Cola Company, Miller Brewing, ING, Microsoft, Hewlett Packard, and Gallup. He is a graduate of HBCU Wiley College and of the University of Pennsylvania's Fel School of Government.

Juan Williams is the author of the acclaimed PBS series companion volume Eyes on the Prize. He is a senior correspondent for NPR, political analyst for Fox News, and the host of America's Black Forum. Williams worked at the Washington Post for twenty-three years as a columnist, editorial writer, and White House correspondent. He has won an Emmy Award for his television documentary writing and has contributed features to Fortune, Atlantic Monthly, Ebony, GQ, New Republic, and Black Issues Book Review. He is a graduate of Haverford College in Pennsylvania.