Unceasing Militant: The Life of Mary Church Terrell
Alison M. Parker
(Author)
Description
Born into slavery during the Civil War, Mary Church Terrell (1863-1954) would become one of the most prominent activists of her time, with a career bridging the late nineteenth century to the civil rights movement of the 1950s. The first president of the National Association of Colored Women and a founding member of the NAACP, Terrell collaborated closely with the likes of Frederick Douglass, Ida B. Wells, and W. E. B. Du Bois. Unceasing Militant is the first full-length biography of Terrell, bringing her vibrant voice and personality to life. Though most accounts of Terrell focus almost exclusively on her public activism, Alison M. Parker also looks at the often turbulent, unexplored moments in her life to provide a more complete account of a woman dedicated to changing the culture and institutions that perpetuated inequality throughout the United States.Drawing on newly discovered letters and diaries, Parker weaves together the joys and struggles of Terrell's personal, private life with the challenges and achievements of her public, political career, producing a stunning portrait of an often-under recognized political leader.
Product Details
Price
$43.13
Publisher
University of North Carolina Press
Publish Date
December 14, 2020
Pages
464
Dimensions
7.7 X 9.4 X 1.3 inches | 1.7 pounds
Language
English
Type
Hardcover
EAN/UPC
9781469659381
BISAC Categories:
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About the Author
Alison M. Parker is department chair and Richards Professor of American History at the University of Delaware.
Reviews
With access to sources previously held only in private collections, Parker explores new avenues of Terrell's life...Parker's deeply researched volume adds to our historical understanding of Terrell's life and demonstrates how a Black woman's public interactions in an oppressive system shaped and affected her personal life."--Journal of Southern History
Spotlights the limited opportunities for Black women's political leadership and recognition for that important work, as well as the economic precarity with which so many Black women lived and struggled while maintaining a commitment to racial and gender justice. . . . Those of us engaged in teaching and researching the long struggle for Black freedom, its organizational and coalitional formations, its culture and personalities, and internal politics and negotiations will greatly benefit."--Paula C. Austin, Journal of African American History
Unceasing Militant is an admiring yet fair tribute to activist Mary Church Terrell, whose sustained, determined belief is inspiring."--Foreword Reviews
Terrell is an understudied figure in American history, and this biography is well suited for scholars of history and women's studies as well as aspiring agents of change."--Library Journal
Fills a vital gap in our knowledge of nineteenth and twentieth century Black activism. . . . A must-read for anyone interested in the history of the fight for racial and gender equality in the U.S. as well as anyone interested in social movements of the Jim Crow era."--Black Perspectives
Offers a new understanding of the Black activist leader as the first full, traditional, historical biography of Mary Church Terrell. . . . Parker brings to life a Mary Church Terrell who is proof of the power of persistence and a lifelong dedication to a seemingly hopeless cause. . . . In her telling of the militant Terrell, Parker paints a portrait of a very relatable human figure with clear motivations: someone who hurts and is hurt, fears poverty and struggles to remain employed, falls in love and in lust, all the while speaking truth to power in the press, in the courts, and in society."--H-Net Reviews
Spotlights the limited opportunities for Black women's political leadership and recognition for that important work, as well as the economic precarity with which so many Black women lived and struggled while maintaining a commitment to racial and gender justice. . . . Those of us engaged in teaching and researching the long struggle for Black freedom, its organizational and coalitional formations, its culture and personalities, and internal politics and negotiations will greatly benefit."--Paula C. Austin, Journal of African American History
Unceasing Militant is an admiring yet fair tribute to activist Mary Church Terrell, whose sustained, determined belief is inspiring."--Foreword Reviews
Terrell is an understudied figure in American history, and this biography is well suited for scholars of history and women's studies as well as aspiring agents of change."--Library Journal
Fills a vital gap in our knowledge of nineteenth and twentieth century Black activism. . . . A must-read for anyone interested in the history of the fight for racial and gender equality in the U.S. as well as anyone interested in social movements of the Jim Crow era."--Black Perspectives
Offers a new understanding of the Black activist leader as the first full, traditional, historical biography of Mary Church Terrell. . . . Parker brings to life a Mary Church Terrell who is proof of the power of persistence and a lifelong dedication to a seemingly hopeless cause. . . . In her telling of the militant Terrell, Parker paints a portrait of a very relatable human figure with clear motivations: someone who hurts and is hurt, fears poverty and struggles to remain employed, falls in love and in lust, all the while speaking truth to power in the press, in the courts, and in society."--H-Net Reviews
