West Virginia had 40 Black high schools and three Black colleges in the days of racial segregation. Part I covers the years 1863 (statehood) to 1954 when the schools at all levels were segregated. Part II covers the years 1954 (after the Supreme Court ruled segregation unlawful) to 1964 when Black schools began playing white schools and then when integration began. “The Black Athlete in West Virginia is an original and significant contribution to the history of African Americans and school sports and is especially valuable as it is the first such work that covers one state, all the relevant sports, and in both high schools and colleges. This laudable one-state exploration allows the authors to show how West Virginia’s race relations, in particular, presented so many divergences from the norm that occurred in other states. It is voluminously researched, including interviews going back to the 1980s.”― Robert Pruter. “Anyone interested in the struggle for civil rights and equality in sport will find The Black Athlete in West Virginia appealing. It is a prototype and has the potential of serving as a template for scholars conducting similar research in other states.”― J. Thomas Jable. The authors: Bob Barnett is professor emeritus at Marshall University. Dana Brooks and Ronald Althouse are professor emerit at West Virginia University.
Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland, 2020. 225 pages with an Index, Bibliography, Notes, Appendix, and lots of pictures. Trade paperback.