SeeCalifornia.com

There are many prominent blacks, who lived in Santa Clara County, like…

• U.S. and World Figure Skating Champion Debi Thomas
• Ivie Anderson, the little girl from Gilroy, who became Duke Ellington’s famous singer, with such hits as, “It Don’t Mean a Thing if it Ain’t Got That Swing”
• Olympic Track Sensations Tommie Smith & John Carlos
• Dr. Harry Edwards, whose influence on athletes and athletic programs is evident today
• San Jose Police Officer Les Brown, who later became renown as the nation’s “Drug Czar”
• Francine Wright Bellson, a physicist from MIT and scientist at IBM, who married legendary drummer Louie Bellson

You can read more about these amazing people in Jan Batiste Adkins’ latest book on African Americans. The historian/teacher delves into the area’s history, providing numerous photos that help bring some of its most famous people to life.

“The author shows that San Jose and Santa Clara County were a land of dreams and hopes for many,” says Craig MacDonald, who reviews this must-have book. Read his review…>