Black Cyclists
The Race for Inclusion
Urbana : University of Illinois Press, [2024]
Format: Book
Description: xi, 233 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm.
"Cycling emerged as a sport in the late 1870s, and from the beginning, Black Americans rode alongside and raced against white competitors. Robert J. Turpin sheds light on the contributions of Black cyclists from the sport's early days through the cementing of Jim Crow laws during the Progressive Era. As Turpin shows, Black cyclists used the bicycle not only as a vehicle but as a means of social mobility--a mobility that attracted white ire. Prominent Black cyclists like Marshall "Major" Taylor and Kitty Knox fought for equality amidst racist and increasingly pervasive restrictions. But Turpin also tells the stories of lesser-known athletes like Melvin Dove, whose actions spoke volumes about his opposition to the color line, and Hardy Jackson, a skilled racer forced to turn to stunt riding in vaudeville after Taylor became the only non-white permitted to race professionally in the United States. Eye-opening and long overdue, Black Cyclists uses race, technology, and mobility to explore a forgotten chapterin cycling history"-- Provided by publisher.
Series: Sport and society
Subjects:
African American cyclists -- United States -- Biography.
Cycling -- United States -- History.
Racism in sports -- United States.
United States -- Race relations -- History.
African American cyclists -- United States -- Biography.
Cycling -- United States -- History.
Racism in sports -- United States.
United States -- Race relations -- History.
ISBN:
9780252087851
Availability | |||
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Call Number | Location | Shelf Location | Status |
Main (Downtown) | Nonfiction | Just Ordered |
Includes bibliographical references (pages 199-223) and index.