This encyclopedia offers a unique look at the African American experience, from the arrival of the first 20 Africans at Jamestown through the launch of the Black Lives Matter movement and the Ferguson Protests. It illustrates subjects such as the Jim Crow period, the Brown v. Board of Education case that overturned segregation, Jackie Robinson's landmark integration of major league baseball, the challenging of stereotypes with the release of The Cosby Show, and Barack Obama's election as president of the United States. Drawing from events spanning almost 400 years of U.S. history, the work documents the African American experience in America and showcases black people's impact on every aspect of American life. Primary sources range from excerpts of speeches given by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Frederick Douglass, and Malcolm X to programs from the March on Washington; a newspaper article about the Emancipation Proclamation, and Tweets from the first Black Lives Matter protest.