A Legacy of Dreams : The Life and Contributions of Dr. William Venoid Banks

A Legacy of Dreams contains the life and experiences of Dr. William Venoid Banks from his youth on a sharecropper's farm in the South to his building one of the largest and most solvent fraternal organizations in America, the International Free and Accepted Modern Masons. He also organized and founded two trade schools, one college, several small businesses, and established the first Black owned and operated radio and television stations in the United States, creating a legacy of opportunities for others in radio and television broadcasting. He discusses his development as he grew up in the racial prejudice of the south, lived on the streets of Chicago, his professional experience as an attorney during the Depression and the riots, dealing with the J. Edgar Hoover Commission, the FBI, and the Black Militia. He also depicts his meetings with President Nixon and the Shah of Iran, discussing, from an historical perspective, the plight of Blacks from 1903 to 1985 from all of his personal experiences.