Compass Points - Volume 1

Compass Points got its start back in 1998 when one of Dr. Small's students made the comment, "Blacks have never done anything in this country, nor on the Eastern Shore."  That night, Small stayed up all night and wrote a 32 page manuscript.  Over the next 15 years, Small continued to work on her labor of love.  She spent time researching the individuals she wanted to profile and conducted interviews with friends, family, coworkers, and even the individuals themselves when possible. Small hopes that the book will help educate people about the many contributions made by African Americans in the area.

The book includes brief biographies of well-known abolitionists such as Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass.  Others are less well-known.  Among those who stand out most to Small personally are Henry Highland Garnet, the first African-American nationalist; Richard Allen, founding bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal Church; Charles Chipman, Salisbury educator and community leader; Crystal Bird Fauset, Pennsylvania House of Representatives member; Mary Fair Burks, civil rights activist; and Stephen Bensen, president of Liberia.

While many of those profiled have passed away, some more than 400 years ago, others are continuing to make history today.  Small notes that there is more to be written and is beginning work on a planned sequel to Compass Points.  She found the interviews particularly rewarding and plans to pursue additional projects in the future.  After completing volume two, Small hopes to write not only about individuals but about the flavor and traditions of the region as a whole.

Compass Points is Small's third book.  Her other works include Reality Check: Brief Biographies of African-Americans on Delmarva, released in 1998 and Men of Color to Arms! Manumitted Slaves and Free Blacks from the Lower Eastern Shore of Maryland Who Served in the Civil War, co-authored with David Briddell.