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Black Maverick: T. R. M. Howard's Fight for Civil Rights and Economic Power
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In whatever role he chose—civil rights leader, wealthy entrepreneur, or unconventional surgeon—Theodore Roosevelt Mason Howard (1908-76) was always close to controversy. One of the leading renaissance men of twentieth century black history, Howard successfully organized a grassroots boycott against Jim Crow in the 1950s. Well known for his benevolence, fun-loving lifestyle, and fabulous parties attended by such celebrities as Jesse Owens and Jackie Robinson, he could also be difficult to work with when he let his boundless ego get the best of him. A trained medical doctor, he kept the secrets of the white elite, and although married to one woman for forty years, he had many personal peccadilloes. But T. R. M. Howard's impressive accomplishments and abilities vastly outshone his personal flaws and foibles. He was a dynamic civil rights pioneer and promoter of self-help and business enterprise among blacks.
With this remarkable biography, David T. Beito and Linda Royster Beito secure Howard's rightful place in African American history. Drawing from dozens of interviews with Howard's friends and contemporaries, as well as FBI files, court documents, and private papers, the authors present a fittingly vibrant portrait of a complicated leader, iconoclastic businessman, and tireless activist.
This was a well researched and objective look at the period of struggle for civil rights that is often overlooked. The book goes further back to a time before Martin Luther King and other civil rights leaders pushed the issues to the tipping point.
The book gives readers a much needed perspective on the struggle for civil rights before the boycotts, marches and now famous speeches we associate with civil rights of the 1960s by recognizing the strengths and weaknesses of one of that period's most controversial but effective leaders.
Without pioneers like T.R.M. Howard paving the way, who knows how the civil rights struggle would have played out ultimately.
Philip53
Posted October 10, 2009
Well written,very interesting,kept me wanting to turn pages. Most important, ties Dr.Howard with the more notable players in the civil rights movement.
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Posted August 27, 2009
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Overview
In whatever role he chose—civil rights leader, wealthy entrepreneur, or unconventional surgeon—Theodore Roosevelt Mason Howard (1908-76) was always close to controversy. One of the leading renaissance men of twentieth century black history, Howard successfully organized a grassroots boycott against Jim Crow in the 1950s. Well known for his benevolence, fun-loving lifestyle, and fabulous parties attended by such celebrities as Jesse Owens and Jackie Robinson, he could also be difficult to work with when he let his boundless ego get the best of him. A trained medical doctor, he kept the secrets of the white elite, and although married to one woman for forty years, he had many personal ...