Struggle Worthy of Note

Not surprisingly, African Americans have faced considerable obstacles in pursuing careers in engineering in the United States. Wharton has constructed the first history of black efforts to advance in this field from Emancipation to the present. Utilizing contemporary correspondence and documents, Wharton shows the range of responses from educators and politicians on both sides of the controversy and examines in detail institutions and individuals responsible for the racial and educational climate surrounding this issue.

The struggle for the opportunity and acceptance of African-American participants in the technological arena is a struggle worthy of note. The struggle and the examination of this topic is important because, despite the significance of the topic, it has been minimally explored. A pioneering effort, the book will be of concern to all students of American race relations, higher education, and the history of engineering education.

DAVID E. WHARTON is a native of Washington, D.C. and a product of that city's public school system. Most recently, he served as Director of a minority engineering program, Project Interlock, in the Boston area for five years. The students selected for his program came from the Greater Boston inner city schools and the success rate was comparable to that of main line programs. Much of his writing is the result of his frustration with those who refuse to see the value in programs such as this. Wharton now resides in Florida and continues to write on educational themes.