Black Maverick

This is a portrait of a complicated leader, iconoclastic businessman, and tireless activist. In whatever role he chose--civil rights leader, wealthy entrepreneur, or unconventional surgeon--Theodore Roosevelt Mason Howard (1908-76) was always close to controversy. Howard successfully organized a grassroots boycott against Jim Crow in the 1950s. Well known for his benevolence, fun-loving lifestyle, and fabulous parties attended by such celebrities as Jesse Owens and Jackie Robinson, he could also be difficult to work with when he let his boundless ego get the best of him. A trained medical doctor, he kept the secrets of the white elite, and although married to one woman for forty years, he had many personal peccadilloes. But Howard's impressive accomplishments and abilities outshone his personal flaws. He was a dynamic civil rights pioneer and promoter of self-help and business enterprise among blacks.