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Review
| African American Women Confront the West, 1600–2000, edited by Quintard Taylor and Shirley Ann Wilson Moore. Norman, Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma Press, 2003. 352 pages. $34.95 hardcover.
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| Readers will seldom encounter a better- organized, more balanced, and interesting anthology than this. Editors Quintard Taylor and Shirley Ann Wilson Moore deliver on what they promised: a series of vignettes which take readers across not only the West of Spanish Mexico but also of California, Oregon, Kansas, Montana, and elsewhere. The contributors also give us more than a casual glimpse into the lives of African American women on the frontier; they give us a deep appreciation for these pioneers who fought against all odds. |
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Divided into two parts, the essays begin with Isabel de Olvera Arrives and other women of color in northern New Spain during the 17th century. They must fight for dignity and self-respect on the harsh, male-dominated frontier. These women used various means, including the legal system, to gain a modicum of success in the face of near overwhelming odds. Another essay introduces us to Mary Ellen Pleasant, one of the most intriguing tales. Her life story in 19th century San Francisco as a businesswoman and abolitionist paved the way for thousands of Black women who followed her to the Golden State. Although Pleasant accumulated a substantial fortune, lawsuits and other challenges stripped her of a fortune in real estate holdings. Still, this remarkable woman persevered and blazed a trail which other women could follow. Other 19th century African American women organized the civil rights movement in California by contesting segregated street cars and separate but unequal public schools. Their victories in the legal system and in the court of public opinion presaged the Black struggle against segregation in the South decades later. For many Blacks, especially women, California offered not only brighter social prospects but also more economic opportunities. These and other accounts provide readers with a vivid sense of the hopes, dreams, and aspirations of Black women in frontier California and elsewhere in the West. |
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The second half of the anthology features essays on 20th century African American women. The essays show women confronting the racist Mormon Church, job discrimination, color prejudice in Hollywood, segregated schools, and even jealousy and gender bias from fellow African American males within the NAACP. These essays cover the lives of women in Texas, Kansas, Oklahoma, and other areas in the West. Women like Clara Shepherd Luper, Lula B. White, Lucinda Todd, Ruth Flowers, and others take on racism and bias. They tackle problems which by the 20th century are more institutionalized than those that challenged women during the previous century. The results are oftentimes victories but the gains benefit all women. In one of the most telling essays, Lula B. White challenges the system of segregation in admissions at the University of Texas as well as Black males within the NAACP. Her fight against obstacles created by years of preference for white males at the University of Texas, eventually led to the famous Sweatt v. Painter case in 1950 in which the Supreme Court ruled that Sweatt, an African American male must be admitted to the Texas law school. Oddly enough, White fought for an African American male and against a vicious attack by another Black male and his pro-segregation organization. NAACP lawyer and later Supreme Court justice Thurgood Marshall became White's mentor. Like the earlier vignettes, those for the 20th century demonstrate the intersection of race, class, and gender. |
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Readers will be impressed with this anthology. The fact that the editors have already established themselves as scholars in frontier history, specializing in the African American experience, certainly adds considerable value to this volume. The contributors use a wide variety of sources and tell stories through a variety of mediums, all of which significantly adds to our understanding of African American women and their voices on the frontier. A subtitle would have enhanced the book and placed the lives of these women more up front. In addition, a few of the authors deviated from their subjects but returned in time to complete their stories. Praise must also extend to the publisher for an excellent typeface and a text free of typos. High school readers may not have enough historical background to fully appreciate this volume but college and university professors will feel comfortable in assigning the book as a primary or secondary text. Few books will be more informative and illuminating than African American Women Confront the West and readers will clearly hear the voices of these African American heroines. |
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| Claflin University |
Jackie R. Booker |
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