Authors:

  • Daina Ramey Berry
  • Kali N. Gross
Cover of A Black Women's History of the United States

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. In centering Black womens stories, two award-winning historians seek both to empower African American women and to show their allies that Black womens unique ability to make their own communities while combating centuries of oppression is an essential component in our continued resistance to systemic racism and sexism. Daina Ramey Berry and Kali Nicole Gross offer an examination and celebration of Black womanhood, beginning with the first African women who arrived in what became the United States to African American women of today. A Black Womens History of the United States reaches far beyond a single narrative to showcase Black womens lives in all their fraught complexities. Berry and Gross prioritize many voices: enslaved women, freedwomen, religious leaders, artists, queer women, activists, and women who lived outside the law. The result is a starting point for exploring Black womens history and a testament to the beauty, richness, rhythm, tragedy, heartbreak, rage, and enduring love that abounds in the spirit of Black women in communities throughout the nation.” --Publisher description.

Citations

Berry, Daina Ramey, and Kali Nicole Gross. A Black Womens History of the United States. Boston: Beacon Press, 2020.