Remember Their Sacrifice

Stories of Unheralded Athletes of Color

Arif Khatib, Pete Elman

• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
• Year: 2023
• Edition: 1
• eBook ISBN:
  9781538171981
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: African American History
• Index: History

An invaluable and inspiring compilation that shines a light on unsung athletes of color.

Sports have long been used as a vehicle for change, as a way to break down barriers and foster greater understanding. But while we know the stories of trailblazers like Jackie Robinson, just as important are the journeys of lesser-known athletes who used sports as a platform to fight injustice, racism, and discrimination.

In Remember Their Sacrifice: Stories of Unheralded Athletes of Color, Arif Khatib and Pete Elman share the extraordinary stories of a special group of athletes, of their struggles, achievements, and incredible impact on the world of sports and beyond. It includes Pumpsie Green, the first Black player for the Red Sox; Alice Coachman, the first Black woman to win an Olympic gold medal; Sammy Lee, the great Asian American diver who won Olympic gold; Toni Stone and Mamie "Peanut" Johnson, two women who played in baseball's Negro Leagues; Billy Mills, a Native American icon who won Olympic gold in the 10,000 meters; and many more.

Featuring an array of sports such as boxing, track and field, golf, auto racing, basketball, football, soccer, and baseball, as well as exclusive interviews with the authors, Remember Their Sacrifice elevates these pioneering athletes to their deserved position in the pantheon of sports.

Table of contents

• Foreword by Dave Zirin
• Acknowledgments
• About the Book
• Introduction
• 1 A Trailblazer Has No Regrets: Pumpsie Green
• 2 The Gold at the End of the Race: Alice Coachman
• 3 “If Pete Brown Ain’t Coming, I Ain’t Coming”: Pete Brown
• 4 Time to Play by “the Rule”: Spencer Haywood
• 5 Baseball’s Triple Trailblazer: Toni Stone
• 6 An American Dreamer Dives to Glory: Dr. Sammy Lee
• 7 His Best Was Sure Good Enough: Burl Toler
• 8 The Journey of Happiness: Billy Mills
• 9 Running Down the Base Paths of Life: Mamie “Peanut” Johnson
• 10 The Joy of Flying: Archie Williams
• 11 Sistas on the Links of Love: Janet Johnson
• 12 The Man Who Risked It All: Curt Flood
• 13 Breaking through to Awesome: Dr. Tae Yun Kim
• 14 Legend of the Long Jump and the Law: Edward Gourdin
• 15 The Latin Legend Who Broke the Seal: Emilio Navarro
• 16 Breaking Records across the Pacific: Chi Cheng
• 17 From the Football Field to the Battlefield: Eugene Evans and Eli Page Howard
• 18 Age Is Just a Number: Irene Obera
• 19 Additional Unsung Heroes
• Bibliography
• About the Authors