Women in the Civil Rights Movement: Trailblazers and Torchbearers, 1941-1965 (Blacks in the Diaspora) [Paperback]

Vicki L. Crawford (Editor), Jacqueline Anne Rouse (Editor), Barbara Woods (Editor)

Book Description

Series: Blacks in the Diaspora | Publication Date: October 22, 1993

"[Women in the Civil Rights Movement] helps break the gender line that restricted women in civil rights history to background and backstage roles, and places them in front, behind, and in the middle of the Southern movement that re-made America.... It is an invaluable resource which helps set history straight." —Julian Bond

"... remains one of the best single sources currently available on the unique contributions of Black women in the desegregation movement." —Manning Marable

Rewrites the history of the civil rights movement, recognizing the contributions of Black women.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"[Women in the Civil Rights Movement] helps break the gender line that restricted women in civil rights history to background and backstage roles... It is an invaluable resource which helps set history straight." Julian Bond " ... the volume remains one of the best single sources currently available on the unique contributions of Black women in the desegregation movement." Manning Marable

About the Author

VICKI L. CRAWFORD is Assistant Professor in the Department of English at Morehouse College. JACQUELINE ANNE ROUSE, Associate Professor at Morehouse College and Assistant Editor of the Journal of Negro History, is the author of Lugenia Burns Hope: Black Southern Reformer. BARBARA WOODS is Chair of the Department of History, Philosophy, and Religion at Hampton University.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Indiana University Press (October 22, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0253208327
• ISBN-13: 978-0253208323
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #610,139 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not bad, but far from great, November 15, 2010

By 

Joseph A. Guillory - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Women in the Civil Rights Movement: Trailblazers and Torchbearers, 1941-1965 (Blacks in the Diaspora) (Paperback)

I read this text in a course seminar during my graduate training in African American Studies. The text contains a few insightful and informative essays on some of the more prolific, but under appreciated women leaders in the CRM. Unfortunately, discontinuity, repetitiveness, and a clashing mixture of genres make the book difficult to use as a teaching aid. Also, and on a personal note, the book's title, TRAILBLAZERS AND TORCHBEARERS, and the editorial note to the reader, attempt to position the impact of black women's leadership roles in ways that differ from the impact of the activities of their male counterpart, yet, the book's essays attempt to demonstrate how black women's contributions were equally as important to the CRM. Were black women more/less trailblazing or torch-bearing than black men? In my interpretation of the CRM, the answer is a profound no. Both women and men played equally important-though perhaps different (in some instances) roles in the CRM. So why does the editorial body choose to cast black women's leadership in such demarcating ways? When I teach my course on CRM, my goal is to demonstrate gender inclusivity; I try to give equal exposure to the contributions made by women and men. I utilize books that aid me in that process. A preferred alternative to this text is Paula Giddings' WHEN AND WHERE I ENTER. Giddings' text has better continuity, more depth, and it provides essential information that helps to build a context for the long history of African American women's involvement in the struggle to obtain first-class citizenship for blacks in the United States. I hope this is helpful.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great, August 12, 2009

By 

Patty Miller "beadmaker" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Women in the Civil Rights Movement: Trailblazers and Torchbearers, 1941-1965 (Blacks in the Diaspora) (Paperback)

this is a good book from a historical perspective.It will fill in the blanks for those who did or did not live through that era.