TRAILBLAZERS

The first volume of an interdisciplinary, intersectional reference collection on influential Black women.

Disturbed by the 2016 election of Donald Trump and his pledge to “Make America Great Again,” author David was dismayed by the number of Americans who longed for the 1950s, “when White men ruled…and people of color had no rights.” She notes that surveys suggest that nearly 60% of White people believe that America in the 1950s was “better” than it is today. Even the #MeToo movement, a harbinger of 21st-century progressive activism, focused disproportionately on the experiences of White women. “Since history is told through the lens of the slaveholders,” who continue to control the nation’s narratives, it was important to David that she provide a comprehensive work that tells the “historical realities” too often “overlooked, misinterpreted, and often retold to present a false history.” The book starts with 50-plus pages of introductory material by David; Lyah Beth LeFlore-Ituen, a producer; and Chandra D.L. Waring, a professor, that contemplates both the victimization and the resilience of Black women. LeFlore-Ituen’s essay, for example, uses the multigenerational history of women in her own distinguished family as a lens through which to explore the impact of Black women on shaping the lives of their communities. Regardless of the dominant narratives in traditional history books, she reminds us, Black women have been telling their stories “at the kitchen table” for generations. The bulk of the nearly 700-page book comprises three parts that focus on Black women’s achievements in activism, dance, and sports. Each of the three sections begins with an introductory essay that provides a broad historical overview of the topic. Activists profiled include historical figures, like Harriet Tubman, Ella Baker, and Betty Shabazz, as well as modern figures, like criminal justice reform advocate Michelle Alexander and trans activist LaSaia Wade. The sections on dance and sports celebrate cultural icons from Josephine Baker and Debra Austin to Jackie Joyner-Kersee and Simone Biles. These chapters also challenge notions in sports broadcasting that paint successful Black athletes as “superhumanly ‘strong’ beings” and that fail to acknowledge their hard work, training, and mental fortitude.

The first book in an anticipated six-volume set, this is an inspiring, comprehensive work. With a multidisciplinary background in music, design, and poetry, David provides the model of activist scholarship that combines academic nuance and sophistication with an engaging writing style that is accessible to general readership, such as David’s essay that convincingly demonstrates how women served as the “foot soldiers” of the civil rights movement. Backed by impressive endnotes and references, each chapter is encyclopedic in breadth while offering fresh analytical insights into Black women who are well covered in the existing literature, like Rosa Parks. The choice to combine the topics of activism, dance, and sports makes for an eclectic collection. More consistency could have been paid in the formatting of chapters, which vary significantly in length. Accompanied by dozens of stark, powerful black-and-white photographs and portraits, this is a visually arresting volume whose words match the power of its images.

An exciting resource in a promising, thorough multivolume celebration of Black women.