Publications to Note

Atria/Black Privilege Publishing, a division of Simon and Schuster has published Cheryl McKissack Daniel’s book, The Black Family Who Built America: The McKissacks, Two Centuries of Daring Pioneers, tells the remarkable story of her family’s legacy and their enduring contributions to the development of America. The narrative traces the family’s roots back to the first Moses McKissack, seized from his home in West Africa and brought to America as an enslaved person. Despite being enslaved by a North Carolina plantation owner, Moses began to shape his path toward freedom from the very start. His determination and skill in building laid the foundation for future generations. From these humble and challenging beginnings, the McKissack family’s story unfolds across two centuries. Each generation persevered, contributing to the growth and transformation of America while overcoming immense obstacles. Their legacy is one of courage, innovation, and a relentless pursuit of progress from enslavement to emancipation and beyond. Through perseverance, they established a foundation that enabled newer generations to achieve remarkable success and reach the highest levels in their field. Throughout Reconstruction and into the present day, the family's impact can be seen in numerous landmark projects across the United States. Their contributions include the construction and development of the Carnegie Library on the campus of Fisk University, the Morris Memorial Building, Capers C.M.E. Church, John F. Kennedy International Airport, and Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field. Each of these sites serves as a testament to the enduring legacy and influence the family has had throughout American history. From the first Moses McKissack to Moses III and Calvin McKissack, Deberry McKissack, his wife Leatrice McKissack to their daughter, Cherly McKissack Daniel, the current President and CEO of McKissack & McKissack, the firm has made an indelible impact on the country’s-built environment. Daniel serves as CEO and president of McKissack & McKissack, the oldest minority and woman-owned professional design and construction firm in the nation. She continues her family’s legacy, managing major projects in commercial, healthcare, education, and transportation sectors. Daniel is also active on various corporate, charitable, and community boards, and has been honored for her humanitarian work and advocacy for diversity.

The story of the McKissack family is more than an account of architectural achievement — it is a testament to resilience, the ability to overcome adversity, and the ongoing struggle for freedom and equality. Their journey, from Moses’s beginnings to Cheryl McKissack Daniel’s leadership, is a celebration of the enduring spirit that shaped their legacy and continues to inspire the construction industry today. Hardback $28.99.

University of Tennessee Press has published Ray Hill’s Senator Kenneth McKellar: Feudin’ Son of Tennessee. This book traces the political career of Tennessee’s longest senator, who served the people of Tennessee for forty-two years. Hill explores McKellar’s early Democratic successes under Presidents Woodrow Wilson and Franklin D. Roosevelt, his unwavering support for the Tennessee Valley Authority, and his unwavering commitment to Tennessee and its citizens. A native of Reconstruction-era Alabama, Kenneth Douglas McKellar graduated from the University of Alabama where he earned the bachelor’s, master’s, and law degrees. A brief trip to Memphis, Tennessee, to visit his brothers resulted in West Tennessee becoming his permanent home and where he pursued his lifetime career. Interested in politics and civic affairs, McKellar was part of a group of young Democrats who organized the Jackson Club, and it was during these years that he formed his long political and personal association with Memphis political leader Edward H. Crump.

Woven into the fabric of Tennessee’s political history, Kenneth D. McKellar’s legacy is marked by his steadfast service and influence. His career spanned four decades, during which he shaped policy and wielded considerable authority within Congress. His tenacity and dedication earned respect from peers and constituents and influenced national issues during key moments through the mid-twentieth century. The Crump-McKellar partnership became one of Tennessee's most influential political alliances.

McKellar served as a United States Representative from 1911 until 1917 and as a United States Senator from 1917 until 1953. Because the Twentieth Amendment to the U. S. Constitution, often referred to as the “Lame Duck” Amendment (changed the dates on which presidential and congressional terms begin and end, from March 4 to January 20), he did not take the oath of office as Tennessee’s junior senator until March 4, 1917. With Democrat majorities in the House of Representatives and with Southern Democrats in both houses of Congress enjoying their greatest influence in national affairs since before the Civil War, McKellar began his congressional career at an opportune time. As time went on, McKellar adopted more conservative positions on key policy issues. He disagreed with President Roosevelt regarding patronage, the operations of the Tennessee Valley Authority, and certain high-level presidential appointments. The split became such that only weeks before he died in 1945, President Roosevelt asked Crump to withdraw his support from McKellar in 1946, a request that Crump refused to honor.

In thirteen chapters, Hill, who served as deputy clerk for Charlie Susano, Knox County Circuit, Civil Sessions, and Juvenile Court, fills a significant gap in scholarship and sheds new light on the life and career of one of the state’s most prominent political personages. A Democrat, he served longer in the United States Congress longer than anyone in Tennessee history. This account, which is the only full-length biography, draws on in-depth research, fills a significant gap in scholarship, and enlightens the reader on the life and career of one of Tennessee’s prominent political figures. Hardback $34.95.

The University of Tennessee Press also released a significant work titled Tennessee Samplers Female Education and Domestic Arts, 1800–1900, authored by Jennifer Core and Janet Hasson. This study delves into the art of samplers — embroidered pieces that serve as “first attempts at a new technique, color combination, or unusual material.” This volume provides detailed descriptions of nineteenth-century Tennessee samplers, highlighting their diversity and highlighting their role in female education and domestic arts covering a hundred-year period. The authors present a comprehensive catalogue and description of samplers from each of Tennessee’s major regions — West, Middle, and East. Their approach allows for a detailed exploration of the distinct styles and characteristics found in samplers throughout the state. Core, the Executive Director of the Tennessee Historical Society and co-founder and director of the Tennessee Sampler Survey and Hasson, former curator of Belle Meade Plantation, and co-founder and secretary-treasurer of the Tennessee Sampler Survey, delve into the unique challenges and opportunities for women's education during the formative years of Tennessee's frontier. Drawing from a rich tapestry of oral histories collected from the descendants of frontier embroiderers, it illuminates how education was imparted, preserved, and valued in these communities. Sources such as family Bibles, diaries, and scrapbooks provide a window into daily life, learning experiences, and the transmission of knowledge, all of which played an essential role in shaping the lives of women on the frontier. This study provides an insightful snapshot into the lives of girls and young women in nineteenth-century Tennessee. It highlights the significance of ornamental art as a defining aspect of their educational experience. Tennessee Samplers Female Education and Domestic Arts, 1800–1900 serves as an authoritative record of the material culture created in the everyday routines of school rooms. It documents the artifacts and objects that emerge from educational environments, capturing their significance and context. Hardback $65.00

Vanderbilt University Press published From the Fiery Furnace to the Promise Land: Stories of a Tennessee Reconstruction Community by Serina K. Gilbert, a descendant of the original Promise Land settlers and has led the efforts to preserve the history of her native Promise Land Community, and Learotha Williams, Jr., professor of African American, Civil War and Reconstruction, and Public History at Tennessee State University and coordinator of the North Nashville Heritage Project. A small hamlet west of Nashville, the Promise Land Community was established by those formerly enslaved at Cumberland Iron Furnace (placed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1988), originally purchased by James Robertson and later bought by Montgomery Bell. Promise Land early settlers included veterans of the United States Colored Troops, who purchased land and established African American-owned businesses. This small African American community experienced grew to approximately a thousand acres, more than fifty homes, several stores, three churches, and an elementary school. By the mid-20th century, only a handful of families remained. Today, the Promise Land community consists of a church and schoolhouse. Yet, because of descendants, it remains a community of friends, family, and those who continued to support each other. Narrating the chronicle of Promise Land through the remembrances of those who lived there, Gilbert and Williams share the history of a community that thrived and continues to flourish despite challenging impediments. Hardcover $29.95.