In the standard story, the suffrage crusade began in Seneca Falls in 1848 and ended with the ratification of the 19th Amendment in 1920. But this overwhelmingly white women's movement did not win the vote for most black women. Securing their rights required a movement of their own. Historian Martha S. Jones’ 2020 book “Vanguard” shows how African American women defied both racism and sexism to fight for the ballot, and wielded political power to secure the equality and dignity of all persons. From the earliest days of the republic to the passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act and beyond, black women—Maria Stewart, Frances Ellen Watkins Harper, Fannie Lou Hamer, and more—were the vanguard of women's rights, calling on America to realize its best ideals.
Books and resources discussed in the program are listed at https://conta.cc/3nOc6xT
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