{"product_id":"boss-of-black-brooklyn-the-life-and-times-of-bertram-l-baker-paperback-softback-9780823288694","title":"Boss of Black Brooklyn; The Life and Times of Bertram L. Baker (Paperback \/ softback) 9780823288694","description":"\u003cfont face=\"Georgia\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"6\"\u003eBoss of Black Brooklyn\u003c\/font\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\r\n\u003cfont size=\"5\"\u003eThe Life and Times of Bertram L. Baker\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"4\"\u003eRon Howell (Author)\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e9780823288694\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003ePaperback \/ softback, published 5 May 2020\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e288 pages, 12\u003cbr\u003e22.9 x 15.2 x 1.9 cm, 0.362 kg\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eBoss of Black Brooklyn\u003c\/i\u003e presents a riveting and untold story about the struggles and achievements of the first black person to hold public office in Brooklyn. Bertram L. Baker immigrated to the United States from the Caribbean island of Nevis in 1915. Three decades later, he was elected to the New York state legislature, representing the Bedford Stuyvesant section. A pioneer and a giant, Baker has a story that is finally revealed in intimate and honest detail by his grandson Ron Howell.\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eBoss of Black Brooklyn\u003c\/i\u003e begins with the tale of one man's rise to prominence in a fascinating era of black American history, a time when thousands of West Indian families began leaving their native islands in the Caribbean and settling in New York City. In 1948, Bert Baker was elected to the New York state assembly, representing the growing central Brooklyn neighborhood of Bedford Stuyvesant. Baker loved telling his fellow legislators that only one other Nevisian had ever served in the state assembly. That was Alexander Hamilton, the founding father. Making his own mark on modern history, Baker pushed through one of the nation's first bills outlawing discrimination in the sale or rental of housing. Also, for thirty years, from 1936 to 1966, he led the all-black American Tennis Association, as its executive secretary. In that capacity he successfully negotiated with white tennis administrators, getting them to accept Althea Gibson into their competitions. Gibson then made history as the first black champion of professional tennis. Yet, after all of Baker's wonderful achievements, little has been written to document his role in black history.\u003cbr\u003e Baker represents a remarkable turning point in the evolution of modern New York City. In the 1940s, when he won his seat in the New York state assembly, blacks made up only 4 percent of the population of Brooklyn. Today they make up a third of the population, and there are scores of black elected officials. Yet Brooklyn, often called the capital of the Black Diaspora, is a capital under siege. Developers and realtors seeking to gentrify the borough are all but conspiring to push blacks out of the city. A very important and long-overdue book,\u003ci\u003e Boss of Black Brooklyn \u003c\/i\u003enot only explores black politics and black organizations but also penetrates Baker's inner life and reveals themes that resonate today: black fatherhood, relations between black men and black women, faithfulness to place and ancestry. Bertram L. Baker's story has receded into the shadows of time, but \u003ci\u003eBoss of Black Brooklyn\u003c\/i\u003e recaptures it and inspires us to learn from it.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eForeword: Former Mass. Gov. Deval Patrick Reminisces\u003c\/i\u003e vii\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003ePreface: A Grandson Learns His Duty \u003c\/i\u003exi\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eIntroduction\u003c\/b\u003e: An Ancestor Speaks from Beyond 1\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e1\u003c\/b\u003e The Lasting Anger of an Abandoned Son 10\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e2\u003c\/b\u003e Irene: Baker Forever, but Never a Boss 32\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e3\u003c\/b\u003e Searching for a Band of Brothers 44\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e4\u003c\/b\u003e A \"Coloured\" West Indian in the Realm of the Irish and the Jews 65\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e5 \u003c\/b\u003eThe American Tennis Association as a Brotherhood\/Sisterhood 83\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e6\u003c\/b\u003e Climbing the Ladder to Elective Office 91\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e7 \u003c\/b\u003eOn a Mission in the 1950s: Desegregation of Housing 97\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e8 \u003c\/b\u003eMaster of Black Compromise 108\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e9 \u003c\/b\u003eThe 1960s, Political Reform, and Personal Tragedy 126\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e10 \u003c\/b\u003eIrene, in the End, Became His Connection to Home and Mother 149\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e11 \u003c\/b\u003eAuthor Commentary. Downtown Brooklyn: Soul of the Boss, Soul of a People 155\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e12\u003c\/b\u003e Author Commentary. My Other Grandfather, a Priest and Writer I Hardly Knew 159\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eConclusion\u003c\/b\u003e: Century of Promise, Century of Hope 172\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eAcknowledgments \u003c\/i\u003e183\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eNotes \u003c\/i\u003e187\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eBibliography \u003c\/i\u003e199\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eIndex \u003c\/i\u003e207\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003ePhotographs follow page 96\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003c\/font\u003e","brand":"Empire State Editions","offers":[{"title":"Brand New","offer_id":52744286798104,"sku":"9780823288694","price":17.79,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"url":"https:\/\/freshlyprintedbooks.co.uk\/products\/boss-of-black-brooklyn-the-life-and-times-of-bertram-l-baker-paperback-softback-9780823288694","provider":"Freshly Printed Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}