Member-only story

Meet the Radical Women at the Heart of the Black Freedom Struggle

Gerald Bell

·7.6k Followers· Follow

Published in Want To Start A Revolution?: Radical Women In The Black Freedom Struggle

4 min read · 2 weeks before

306 View Claps

37 Respond

Save

Listen

Want to Start a Revolution?: Radical Women in the Black Freedom Struggle

by Jan-Werner Müller

4.8 out of 5

Language	:	English
File size	:	2382 KB
Text-to-Speech	:	Enabled
Screen Reader	:	Supported
Enhanced typesetting	:	Enabled
Word Wise	:	Enabled
Print length	:	366 pages

In her new book, 'Radical Women in the Black Freedom Struggle', author Keisha Blain tells the untold stories of the women who fought for civil rights in the US. These women were often overlooked by history, but their contributions were essential to the movement's success.

Blain's book focuses on the lives of six women: Ella Baker, Fannie Lou Hamer, Septima Poinsette Clark, Daisy Bates, Rosa Parks, and Jo Ann Robinson. These women came from different backgrounds and had different experiences, but they all shared a common goal: to fight for the freedom of their people.

Ella Baker was a brilliant organizer and strategist who worked behind the scenes to support the civil rights movement. Fannie Lou Hamer was a sharecropper and civil rights activist who spoke out against segregation and poverty. Septima Poinsette Clark was an educator who taught citizenship classes to help African Americans register to vote. Daisy Bates was a newspaper publisher who defied segregation and helped to desegregate Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. Rosa Parks was a seamstress who became an icon of the civil rights movement when she refused to give up her seat on a bus to a white man. Jo Ann Robinson was a housewife and civil rights activist who organized the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

These six women were just a few of the many radical women who fought for the Black freedom struggle. Their stories are inspiring and empowering, and they remind us that the fight for justice is never over.

Blain's book is a valuable addition to the literature on the civil rights movement. It fills a gap in our knowledge of the movement and gives voice to the women who played a vital role in its success.

If you're interested in learning more about the Black freedom struggle, I highly recommend reading 'Radical Women in the Black Freedom Struggle'. It's a powerful and inspiring book that will stay with you long after you finish it.

About the Author

Keisha Blain is an associate professor of history at the University of Pennsylvania. She is the author of several books on the Black freedom struggle, including 'Set the World on Fire: Black Nationalist Women and the Global Struggle for Freedom'.