The Black Family Who Built America : The McKissacks, Two Centuries of Daring Pioneers - Cheryl McKissack Daniel

The Black Family Who Built America

The McKissacks, Two Centuries of Daring Pioneers

By: Cheryl McKissack Daniel, Nick Chiles (As told to)

Hardcover | 16 July 2025

At a Glance

Hardcover


RRP $59.99

$41.25

31%OFF

or 4 interest-free payments of $10.31 with

 or 

Available: 16th July 2025

Preorder. Will ship when available.

The riveting story of the McKissack family—the founders of the leading Black design and construction firm in the United States, from its beginnings in the mid-1800s to its thriving status today—in a moving celebration of resilience and innovation.

Captured in his native West Africa and enslaved on American shores by a North Carolina plantation owner, Moses McKissack I began to build his way to emancipation right from the start. Becoming an enslaved craftsman, he picked up the trade his family would become famous for in the earliest years of the 19th century, passing his learnings down to his children and seeing them off to freedom after the Civil War.

The family would settle in Tennessee, getting its bearings in the building trades despite rampant discrimination, establishing a foothold that now sees its latest generations working at the absolute peak of its industry.

The family’s fingerprints have been left all across the United States, spanning from Reconstruction to contemporary times, through projects like the Morris Memorial Building, Capers C.M.E. Church, John F. Kennedy International Airport, and Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field.

Here, Cheryl McKissack Daniel, CEO and president of McKissack & McKissack, reveals the full fascinating story of her family. So much more than an exploration of architectural achievements, The Black Family Who Built America is also a compelling illustration of how history rhymes and reverberates, and a celebration of the human spirit’s ability to overcome adversity and drive change. From Moses’s humble beginnings to Cheryl’s current role as a trailblazer and champion of diversity, the family’s journey underscores the importance of perseverance, innovation, and strategic vision in shaping a legacy that continues to inspire and impact the construction industry.

More in Architecture

Made for Living : Collected Interiors for All Sorts of Styles - Cat Chen
Live Beautiful - Athena Calderone

RRP $65.00

$44.25

32%
OFF
Architectural Digest at 100 : A Century of Style - Architectural Digest

RRP $180.00

$110.25

39%
OFF
Australia Modern : Architecture, Landscape & Design 1925-1975 - Hannah Lewi
The Kinfolk Home : Interiors for Slow Living - Nathan Williams

RRP $75.00

$50.35

33%
OFF
Other People's Homes : Suburban Kerb Appeal - Sandy Weir
SOL : At Home in Mallorca - Nic Holden

RRP $60.01

$41.25

31%
OFF
Ocean Pools : 75 pools across Australia for saltwater swimmers - Chris Chen
Kelly Wearstler: Synchronicity : Obsessions - Kelly Wearstler

RRP $130.00

$81.75

37%
OFF
Arent & Pyke : Interiors Beyond the Primary Palette - Arent & Pyke
Arranging Things - Colin King

RRP $110.00

$69.25

37%
OFF
Create : At Home with Old & New - Ali Heath

RRP $55.00

$39.90

27%
OFF
Curate : Inspiration for an Individual Home - Lynda Gardener

RRP $55.00

$39.90

27%
OFF
Dogs on Doorsteps - Suzanne Stevenson

RRP $39.99

$35.35

12%
OFF
First Knowledges Design : Building on Country - Alison Page
Atlas of Brutalist Architecture : Classic format - Phaidon Editors

RRP $100.00

$62.50

37%
OFF
Resident Dog : Incredible Homes and the Dogs That Live There - Nicole England
This Creative Life : Fashion Designers at Home - Robyn Lea

RRP $79.99

$53.35

33%
OFF
The New Sustainable House : Planet-friendly home design - Penny Craswell