A White-Collar Profession

“Well-researched and capturing superbly the texture of the social, political, and economic circumstances of the times, [this] study provides a valuable perspective on the exclusivity of the accounting field. . . . An important book that will undoubtedly stand for many years as the primary resource on the participation of African Americans in accounting during the twentieth century.”—Business History Review

“A White-Collar Profession is a necessary addition to the library of anyone who has an interest in understanding the challenges faced by minorities trying to break down racial barriers in an overwhelmingly white profession.”—Minority MBA

“One can sincerely appreciate the struggle of the African-American CPA as chronicled in this exceptional book.”—CPA Journal

“This is an important book. A seminal study of blacks in the accounting field, it also makes significant contributions to the fields of African American, education, and business history. Hammond’s impressive research provides a model for those who seek to examine and document black participation in other professions. Her case studies of well-prepared, superbly trained professionals who were denied jobs movingly illustrates the full extent of racism in America before Civil Rights legislation.”—Juliet E. K. Walker, University of Texas at Austin

“Despite enormous obstacles, a number of courageous African Americans persevered to earn the prestigious CPA credential during the twentieth century, and Hammond poignantly chronicles their saga. Her research will help readers realize that a more diverse profession is in both their ethical and their economic interests, resulting—we can hope—in a happier tale about the twenty-first century.”—Robert K. Elliott, past chairman of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA)

“Finally, a scholar has focused our attention on the struggle for racial equality in the professions. . . . A White-Collar Profession is must reading for anyone who wishes to understand racial progress and institutional change. It is a thoroughly engaging and well-researched chronicling of the African American experience in one of the nation’s most important and prominent professions. Hammond has broken new ground in the study of race and business.”—David A. Thomas, Harvard University

“Theresa A. Hammond’s book is not only a brilliant and poignant history of one significant profession; it speaks volumes about the larger struggle African Americans have waged since the early 1900s to secure their place in the American mainstream.”—Lee A. Daniels, editor of The State of Black America