March is Women’s History Month, and in celebration I wanted to highlight some great reads that draw attention to activist women of the past. Let’s go!
Lighting the Fires of Freedom by Janet Dewart Bell shines a light on the important and unsung work of Black women during the Civil Rights Movement. Despite daily contributions at every level of the movement, women are largely left out of the conversation. Beyond Rosa Parks, Coretta Scott King, and Dorothy Height, most Americans, black and white alike, would be hard-pressed to name other leaders at the community, local, and national levels. In honor of the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1968, Bell conducted a series of interviews with nine women who were there, who told deeply personal and intimate accounts of extraordinary struggles for justice that resulted in profound social change, stories that remain important and relevant today. Women’s leadership was integral to this fight for rights, and no history of the movement is complete without representation of them. An ebook version of this title is available on hoopla.
Vanguard by Martha S. Jones tells the story of women’s suffrage from a perspective not often considered: that of the Black women who fought for it. Back in 1848, there were women of all races fighting for rights (see the new Dorothy Wickenden title The Agitators for more on this), but predominantly white activists like Susan B. Anthony did not prioritize extending freedoms and voting rights to Black women. Because of the racism inherent in that position, when the 19th Amendment was ratified in 1920, the fight for Black women was not over. Their fight continued until the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and beyond, and that is the story Jones brings us with her book. Maria Stewart, Frances Ellen Watkins Harper, Fannie Lou Hamer, and more fought for dignity and rights while defying both race-based and sexist oppression. The powerful women of Vanguard deserve to have their stories told, and the women of today deserve to know those stories.
Amazons, Abolitionists, and Activists is a graphic novel by Mikki Kendall that is absolutely gorgeous. Just look at that cover! The book covers a wide variety of women and their actions that are guaranteed to get your brain moving. Don’t underestimate the delight of looking at art and reading stories that illuminate notable women throughout history–from queens and freedom fighters to warriors and spies–and the progressive movements led by women that have shaped history, including abolition, suffrage, labor, civil rights, LGBTQ liberation, reproductive rights, and more. As a bonus, the brief chapters containing key points of history make this a good book to read a few minutes at a time, for those of us who struggle to find time to dedicate to a full book.
Get forth and get reading– these or any of the other wonderful books about women’s history in the library.
