The Diaspora leadership in this period (from slavery to the 1920s) consisted of both men and women, and those who have been featured in this work are employed as the epitome of the whole. The author recognizes the need for biographical sketches of many of the leaders of the era and some such studies have begun to appear. But this work provides a generalized overview of the leadership of the era in terms of ethos, motivations and their conception of destiny."--BOOK JACKET.