The Afro-American Woman: Struggles and Images

by Sharon Harley, Rosalyn Terborg-Penn, Dorothy Porter (Foreword)

Civil rights activists, educators, writers, artists, and workers - these are the women of The Afro-American Woman: Struggles and Images, an excellent anthology of essays that provides a more accurate image of the Black woman and her place in history and in the cultural development of our society. Originally published in 1978, The Afro-American Woman includes essays that highlight historical experiences common to Black women. The anthology also features essays that focus on early activists Anna J. Cooper, Nannie Burroughs, and Charlotta A. Bass. This book is a long out-of-print, valuable reference source. It was the first written by Black academics which analyzed these women's experiences from a historical and Black nationalist perspective.

Genres: Black Women, Nonfiction, History, Essays

150 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1979

Reviews

[Julia]

Originally published in 1978 and re-issued in 1997, this is a series of scholarly articles about black women's history in the United States. An interesting topic, but mostly dry writing. I did learn a lot. The last three articles are about specific women. I had heard of Nanny Burroughs but didn't remember anything about her. I had not heard of Anna Julia Cooper who was active in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. I also had not heard of Charlotte Bass, who was the vice-presidential candidate for the Progressive Party in 1952. That article was the most interesting for me, since it discussed how a third party ran against the Democrats and Republicans during the Korean War. Charlotte Bass was the first Black woman candidate for national office, preceding nominations by the Communist Party and the Socialist Workers Party in later years.

[Nick]

My purpose for reading this book was to gain a historical perspective and context about African American women's roles as leaders, artists, activists, and mothers. The authors discussed every aspect of African American women's experiences. Although it is a short book, the authors provided great historical details. I became aware of people I have not heard of prior to reading this book. The information discussed by the authors will be a good foundation for my dissertation literature review. I recommend the book to anyone interested in obtaining a brief history lesson about African American women.

[Hyacinth]

I am really not a history buff. This book was given to me as a gift. It took me a long time to read it but I am SO glad I did! It was good to learn about the contributions African American women made to the struggle of women in general and African American women in particular. It is good to know that we have a place in history contrary to popular belief. We often hear of the Harriet Tubmans and the Sojourner Truths but never hear of the others such as Anna J Cooper, Charlatta A. Bass and others. This is a collection of papers written in book form. I definitely feel enlightened and will consider reading more of our African American contributions toward equality.