"Rarely has a short book accomplished so much as Terborg-Penn's seminal work. With the utmost attention to detail Terborg-Penn examines the contributions of black suffragist stalwarts . . . It undoubtedly will become the definitive work on African American women's involvement in the mainstream woman suffrage movement and specifically on black women's struggle for the vote." —Choice

" . . . this is a well-written overview of a crucial aspect of African American history that would be ideal for the college classroom." —Journal of American History

" . . . not only a major contribution to suffrage history . . . but also a powerful indictment of white suffrage activists who were able to see beyond the sexism but not the racism of their society." —Journal of Southern History

"This groundbreaking volume provides a theoretical and practical framework for new paradigms in African American women's history. . . . All Black politicians should read and discuss this unique and brilliant book. Many lessons can be learned." —Philadelphia New Observer

This comprehensive look at the African American women who fought for the right to vote analyzes the women's own stories and examines why they joined and how they participated in the U.S. women's suffrage movement. Terborg-Penn shows how every political and racial effort to keep African American women disfranchised met with their active resistance until black women finally achieved full citizenship.