Focusing on the community of Orangeburg, South Carolina, from 1880 to 1940, Parlor Ladies and Ebony Drudges explores the often sharp class divisions that developed among African American women in that small, semirural area. Kibibi Voloria Mack's research challenges the conventional thesis that all African American women toiled - and toiled hard - throughout their lives. She shows that this was only true if they belonged to certain socioeconomic classes. Mack finds that, in Orangeburg, a significant minority did not have to work outside the home (unless they chose to do so) and that some even had staffs of domestics to do their housework - a situation paralleling that of the town's genteel white women. While the factors of gender and race did restrict the lives of all African American women in Jim Crow Orangeburg, Mack argues, there was no real solidarity across class lines. In fact, as the points out, tensions often arose between women of the upper classes and those of the middle and working classes.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
About the Author
Kibibi V. Mack-Shelton held the former Tyler and Alice Haynes Endowed Chair of American Studies at the University of Richmond. She currently teaches at the University of Maryland Baltimore County and is author and editor of numerous scholarly publications, including Parlor Ladies and Ebony Drudges: African American Women, Class, and Work in a South Carolina Community and History And Women, Culture And Faith: Selected Writings Of Elizabeth Fox-Genovese, Volume 2.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
A good history of the life of black women in Orangeburg, S.C,
By A Customer
This review is from: Parlor Ladies & Ebony Drudges: African American Women (Hardcover)
This book is full of historical facts and pictures dating back in the early 1940's, that take place in South Carolina. This book was well researched and tastefully portrays the lifestyles of the different classes of African-American women.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Parlor Ladies/Ebony Drudges is an Excellent Read!,
By Brenda Harrington (Boise, Idaho) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Parlor Ladies & Ebony Drudges: African American Women (Hardcover)
I am an avid reader of women's history and this is, by far, one of the best books I have read on African American women. Mack's use of oral history to delve into these southern women's daily life experiences during the early 1900s was an excellent source for hearing these women's voices. I saw her on C-Span Book TV in 1999 talking about PARLOR LADIES; her presentation was so vibrant and interesting, I immediately purchased a copy of her book. Her comparison of black women with black women is unique within itself; she does a fine job of showing the diversity of these women and the subtle tensions that existed due to their class differences. I learned so much about the discrimination that some light-skinned women with straight-textured hair posited towards those with darker skin and non-straight hair. It made me better understand the subtle color discrimination that still exists within the African American community today. In terms of her writing style, this well-researched scholarly information is written in a language that is easily understood for those who are not trained scholars of history; it was nice to read a history book that was neither boring nor filled with words requiring a genius to decipher. Also, the organization of this book allows the reader to be able to compare the upper class African American women easily with her middle or working class peers; I could go on and on. Everyone who is interested in American history, Women's history, and African American history should have a copy of this book in their personal library. Once you start reading it, you won't stop until you reach the concluding chapter. I know I didn't! I hope Mack plans to write future books examining the African American women's life experiences. Thank you for this fine book!! Don't change your style!
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Parlor Ladies and Ebony Drudges : African American Women, Cl,
By Jammings (UK) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Parlor Ladies & Ebony Drudges: African American Women (Hardcover)
I enjoyed reading this book a lot. Very much an eye opener for me, not knowing a great deal about that area of American history. I was attracted to the book by the title. It then turn out to be a real enjoyable learning experience. Nice work.
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