Charles Waddell Chesnutt was an African American educator, businessman, lawyer, author, social reformer, and activist. He was one of the first African American writers to cross the color line into the Anglo American publishing world. A pioneering author of African American fiction, Chesnutt is perhaps best known for his exploration of sensitive issues of race, including slavery, prejudice, racism, and racial violence, in his short stories and novels.

This book explores Chesnutt's remarkable life and legacy, including his contributions as an author, activist, and social commentator. The author examines the ways he chronicled, challenged, and crossed the color line, beginning in his early life. She illuminates the people, places, events, and ideas that shaped his complex view of race and society and shows how themes such as education, opportunity, and fairness informed his efforts.

To tell his remarkable story, Eckard draws on Chesnutt's journals, letters, essays, speeches, as well as his short fiction and novels. Lastly, Charles Chesnutt: Crossing the Color Line strives to interpret his work in light of today's events and the continued struggle for racial and social justice.