More than any other text, The African-American Odyssey illuminates the central place of African Americans in U.S. history -- not only telling the story of what it has meant to be black in America, but also how African-American history is inseparably weaved into the greater context of American history and vice versa. This updated edition brings the story up to 2008 and the historic election of the first African-American President of the United States, Barack Obama. Told through a clear, direct, and flowing narrative by leading scholars in the field, The African-American Odyssey draws on recent research to present black history within broad social, cultural, and political frameworks. From Africa to the Twenty-First Century, this book follows their long, turbulent journey, including the rich culture that African Americans have nurtured throughout their history and the many-faceted quest for freedom in which African Americans have sought to counter oppression and racism. This text also recognizes the diversity within the African-American sphere -- providing coverage of all class and of women and balancing the lives of ordinary men and women with the accounts and actions of black leaders and individuals.