A vibrant and empowering history that emphasizes the perspectives and stories of African American women to show how they are--and have always been--instrumental in shaping our country
Authors’ Note
INTRODUCTION
Nannie’s Legacy and the Histories of Black Women
CHAPTER ONE
Isabel’s Expedition and Freedom Before 1619
CHAPTER TWO
Angela’s Exodus out of Africa, 1619–1760
CHAPTER THREE
Belinda’s Petition for Independence, 1760–1820
CHAPTER FOUR
Millie and Christine’s Performance and the Expansion of Slavery,
1820–1860
CHAPTER FIVE
Mary’s Apron and the Demise of Slavery, 1860–1876
CHAPTER SIX
Frances’s Sex and the Dawning of the Black Woman’s Era,
1876–1915
CHAPTER SEVEN
Augusta’s Clay, Migration, and the Depression, 1915–1940
CHAPTER EIGHT
Alice’s Medals and Black Women’s War at Home, 1940–1950
CHAPTER NINE
Aurelia’s Lawsuit Against Jim Crow, 1950–1970
CHAPTER TEN
Shirley’s Run, Black Power, Politics, and Black Feminism,
1970–2000
CONCLUSION
Patricia’s Climb and the Sisters Holding Down Liberty
Afterword
Acknowledgments
Image Credits
Notes
Index
Daina Ramey Berryis Michael Douglas Dean of Humanities and Fine
Arts at the University of California, Santa Barbara. She is a
scholar of the enslaved and Black Women's History and the
award-winning author/editor of several books includingA Black
Women's History of the United States.Connect with her at
drdainarameyberry.com or @DainaRameyBerry on Twitter.
Kali Nicole Gross is the Martin Luther King Jr. Professor of
History at Rutgers University, New Brunswick. Her previous books
include Hannah Mary Tabbs and the Disembodied Torso- A Tale of
Race, Sex, and Violence in America, winner of the 2017
Hurston/Wright Legacy Award in nonfiction. Learn more at
kalinicolegross.com or connect with her on Twitter @KaliGrossPhD.
2021 NAACP Image Award Nominee: Outstanding Literary Work –
Non-Fiction
Honorable Mention for the 2021 Organization of American Historians
Darlene Clark Hine Award
“This book is a font of inspiration . . . A compact, exceptionally
diverse introduction to the history of black women in America.”
—Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review
“A substantial addition to popular history. Will likely be
well-received by black women seeking better historical
representation and by allies looking to educate themselves about
black history.”
—Library Journal, Starred Review
“A welcome addition to the library of any history enthusiast, A
Black Women’s History of the United States is an absorbing
read.”
—Shelf Awareness, Starred Review
“Captivating, highly readable . . . A timely and much-needed
restoration.”
—Booklist
“This book is a gift to anyone interested in a more complete—a more
truthful—story about the United States. By starting the history
about Black women on this land with us as free people and as people
agitating for our freedom, by prioritizing all Black women’s voices
and coming up to the present day, Dr. Gross and Dr. Berry
illuminate greater possibilities for our collective freedom dreams
and struggles for collective liberation.”
—Charlene A. Carruthers, author of Unapologetic: A Black, Queer,
and Feminist Mandate for Radical Movements
“A Black Women’s History of the United States is an extraordinary
contribution to our collective understanding of the most profound
injustices and equalities, as well as the most committed struggles
to realize true justice and equality, that have shaped this nation
since its birth. Through the courageous and complex voices of black
women, and with deft attention to the lives that black women have
led from the earliest moments of conquest and colonialism to the
dawn of the twenty-first century, historians Daina Ramey Berry and
Kali Gross have utterly upended traditional accounts of the
American past in ways most desperately needed in our American
present.”
—Heather Ann Thompson, historian and Pulitzer Prize–winning author
of Blood in the Water: The Attica Prison Uprising of 1971 and Its
Legacy
“Remarkably comprehensive and accessible, introductory and
sophisticated, two ground-breaking historians have come together to
produce a ground-breaking new history of Black women in the United
States. To know the story of the United States is to know this
indispensable story.”
—Ibram X. Kendi, author of Stamped from the Beginning and How to Be
an Antiracist
“A powerful and important book that charts the rich and dynamic
history of Black women in the United States. It shows how these
courageous women challenged racial and gender oppression and boldly
asserted their authority and visions of freedom even in the face of
resistance. This book is required reading for anyone interested in
social justice.”
—Keisha N. Blain, author of Set the World on Fire: Black
Nationalist Women and the Global Struggle for Freedom
“Black women have always been at the front line of change, and A
Black Women’s History of the United States shows us in no uncertain
terms that our DNA will have us here sculpting and writing the next
chapters. Tell your sisters, mothers, and daughters to get this
book for someone they love, because we owe it to ourselves, our
daughters, our sons, and our future, to know the history that isn’t
being taught in our schools. And it starts with us.”
—Anika Noni Rose, actor, producer, and singer
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