Though often consigned to the footnotes of history, African
American women are a significant part of the rich, multiethnic
heritage of Texas and the United States. Until now, though, their
story has frequently been fragmented and underappreciated.
Black Women in Texas History draws together a multi-author
narrative of the experiences and impact of black American
women from the time of slavery until the recent past. Each chapter,
written by an expert on the era, provides a readable survey and
overview of the lives and roles of black Texas women during that
period. Each provides careful documentation, which, along with the
thorough bibliography compiled by the volume editors, will provide a
starting point for others wanting to build on this important topic.
The authors address significant questions about population
demographics, employment patterns, family and social dimensions,
legal and political rights, and individual accomplishments. They look
not only at how African American women have been shaped by the
larger culture but also at how these women have, in turn, affected the
culture and history of Texas. This work situates African American
women within the context of their times and offers a due appreciation
and analysis of their lives and accomplishments.
Black Women in Texas History is an important addition to
history and sociology curriculums as well as black studies and
women's studies programs. It will provide for interested students,
scholars, and general readers a comprehensive survey of the crucial
role these women played in shaping the history of the Lone Star
State.
Introduction: Black Texas Women: Making Community
Bruce A. Glasrud and Merline Pitre
1. Black Women during Slavery to 1865
Angela Boswell
2. Texas Freedwomen during Reconstruction, 1865–1874
James M. Smallwood and Barry A. Crouch
3. "Us Has Ever Lived De Useful Life": African American Women in
Texas, 1874–1900
Rebecca Sharpless
4. Time of Transition: Black Women in Early Twentieth-Century Texas,
1900–1930
Bruce A. Glasrud
5. At the Crossroads: Black Texas Women, 1930–1954
Merline Pitre
6. African American Women in the Civil Rights Era, 1954–1974
Stefanie Decker
7. Expanded Opportunities: Black Women in the Modern Era,
1974–2000
Kenneth W. Howell and James M. Smallwood
8. Contemporary Black Texas Women: Political and Educational
Leadership, 1974–2000
Jewel L. Prestage and Franklin D. Jones
_________________________________________________________
BRUCE A. GLASRUD is Professor Emeritus of History at
California State University, East Bay, and retired Dean, School of
Arts and Sciences, Sul Ross State University. He has authored or
coauthored nine books, and he edited (with Michael Searles)
Buffalo Soldiers in the West: A Black Soldiers Anthology,
published by Texas A&M University Press. He lives in Seguin,
Texas. MERLINE PITRE, author of In Struggle against Jim
Crow: Lulu B. White and the NAACP, 1900–1957, published by
Texas A&M University Press, is dean of liberal arts and behavioral
sciences and professor of history at Texas Southern University in
Houston.
Number 108: Centennial Series of the Association of Former
Students, Texas A&M University
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