Introduction
African American women have been involved in the civil rights struggle ever since they set foot on what has been referred to as the “New World” (Thomas 1). These women, young and old alike endured pathetic conditions as they were transported to prisons, notwithstanding the fact that they had to do the same work done by the men and suffer an added burden of sexual harassment from their slave masters. But it is the strong will to live and die for their children and the moral support they got form their families that kept these women active in African American History in the early 20th Century (Thomas1).
Main body
The first half of the 20th century is a period in which African Americans in general set up several organizations through which they would advocate for equal rights as Americans. African American women made tremendous contribution towards these organizations by forming women organizations that significantly supported the Civil Rights – black Power Movement in the struggle towards better economic and political placement for African Americans. These women organizations were formed in an effort to advance the economic, social and political conditions of the black women and the African Americans in general.
In her book, “Sisters in the Struggle”, Bettye Collier – Thomas gives a beautiful analyses of the contribution that the African American women made in the Civil Rights – Black Power Movement. This she does through analyzing personal testimonies, biographical analyses as well as other basic sources such as letters, interviews and autobiographies that give accounts of the contributions of several women in the black struggle. From these sources the writer has been able to give an account of tremendous contributions that the African American women exhibited in the social protests against discrimination (Thomas 4). Articles from magazines and institutional sources have provided the biographers with good sources from which they could get individual assessment of certain women activists in the Black Power Movement. In such way, the author has been able to give a reasonable assessment of the social, economic and political changes that took place in the course of the women’s struggle. Of particular importance is the socio-political analysis through which the author has been able to highlight the importance of women’s contributions in the civil Rights – Black Power Movement. Also highlighted in the book are the social changes that affected these women in society and the political consciousness that these changes brought among the African Americans.
The book is divided into five major parts. In part I of the book, the writer explores the various activities of the African American Women in the civil rights struggle that took place in the first half of the 20th century. Autobiographical analyses of women such as Mary Mclead Bethuen in “Closed Doors” and community organizers like Ela Baker are given in this section of the book. Also analyzed are movements such as the National council of Negro Women (NCNW) and the National Association of Colored Women (NACW) and their activities in the civil rights movement.
Part II of the book presents life stories of such women as Rosa Park, Dorothy I Height and Charlyne Hunter Gault by giving excerpts of the activities that each of these women were involved in during the struggle. Their involvement at eyewitness level had great impact on their lives, the societies they were living in as well as the entire American History. In part III of the book, women leadership in the struggle comes into the limelight and in particular the women’s contribution in the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party in the 1960s. The leadership of women such as Septima Poisnette Clark and Fannie Lou Hamer in the Civil rights campaigns are examined.
The type of conditions and circumstances that these women were exposed to in the course of the struggle and in the transition from Civil Rights to Black Power are examined in part IV. The activities of two prominent women, Gloria Richardson and Ruby Doris Smith and their contributions to the civil rights movement have been analysed in this section of the book. Part V examines law, feminism and politics and particularly the “Joan Little” movement and how it helped develop black feminist consciousness in the mid 1970s.
From this book, we learn of Black women’s activism in the Black Panther Party where they physically fought the police and how women were able to preserve the organization at a time when authorities were determined to destroy it as depicted in the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. A woman like Mary McLeod Bethuane was a civil rights activist recognized for her efforts as an educator of women and an institution builder. Between 1925-1950 black women steered organizations that were involved in a relentless struggle to go through the barriers that prevented African Americans from achieving much in the civil rights struggle. Women were educated on legislative issues and their voting rights in political elections as well as the importance of taking part in the voting exercises. Other citizens were also trained about the importance of voting. Young women were also trained for employment in War industries during the world wars. Organizations such as the Alpha Kappa Alpha (AKA) and the Women’s Council on National Defense were actively involved in various training programs. Such organizations also geared their activities towards improving the living conditions of the black people in the cities.
Women’s groups such as NCNW and NACW among others were widely involved in welfare services within their communities that were geared towards elimination of racial segregation and discrimination in various sectors of the society such as education, employment, housing and business (Thomas 29). Prominent women like Ela Baker were actively involved in organizing the black working classes though such leftist groups as Works Progress Administration (WPA) and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).
Organizations such as New Jersey Federation made efforts to obtain fair employment legislation for African Americans and it is from this struggle that group activities in the name of “civil rights” started taking form. Members of this movement also made tremendous contribution in supporting black troops at Fort Dix and other military camps in New Jersey by providing them with books and other reading materials as well as entertainment.
In the second half of the 20th Century, women were in the limelight in using religious movements as a forum for advocating for equal rights and creating awareness among the women about the advancement of the civil rights movement. An example is the Black Baptist women’s movement through which women were able to source for funds from the black church and also promoted the church as a good place for spiritual and inspirational nourishment. Civil rights ideas were advocated through such groups.
Throughout the book a beautiful history of the African American women in the struggle is depicted, their courage and also the admirable style in which they conducted their affairs in the midst of so much crisis. They exhibited courageous resistance towards racial segregation and played a magnificent role in shaping the American society by making the women conscious of their rights as citizens of America. The individual stories of some of these women reveal unsung heroism in the civil rights struggle.
Conclusion
It is evident from this book that women made tremendous contribution to the black struggle even if much about them has not been recorded in history. Their involvement at the local level and the kind of determination they showed in keeping the struggle alive makes depicts the kind of heroism they deserve in the civil rights struggle. It is therefore true to state that African American women have made tremendous contribution in shaping the history of present day America.