BROKEN UTTERANCES
A Selected Anthology of 19th Century Black Women's Social Thought
About Broken Utterances | Broken Utterances connects the seemingly disparate voices of twenty Black women of the 1800′s, and weaves a cohesive web revealing surprising influences not only upon each other, but also on the experiences of Black women today. It is an examination of how the unique position of the African American woman provides her with the ability to dissect the ills of society and offer distinctive insight for positive transformation. The book is a multi-media work featuring primary texts, biographies, original illustrations and translations into contemporary vernacular.
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The Author
Author Michelle Diane Wright earned a B.A. in English and Art History from Dartmouth College, an M.A. in Black Studies and an M.S. in Political Science from The Ohio State University. For five years she published natural Alternatives, an Afrikan centered guide for holistic living. Michelle edited both The Case of Marshall Eddie Conway, a book exploring the legal battles of the former Black Panther and political prisoner, and Broken Utterances: An Anthology of 19th Century Black Women’s Social Thought. Michelle has been published in the Western Journal of Black Studies, The Afro American Newspaper, among other national publications. Also an artist, Michelle has exhibited at the Eubie Blake Cultural Center in Baltimore. She is also a Professor of History and heads the Africana Studies Department at the Community College of Baltimore County, Maryland.
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The Women Included
Maria W. Stewart
Sarah Mapps-Douglass
Jarena Lee
Ann Plato
Harriet Tubman
Sojourner Truth
Sarah Parker Remond
Frances E.W. Harper
Charlotte Forten Grimke
Elizabeth Keckley
Anna Julia Cooper
Frances Ann Rollin
Frances Barrier Williams
Gerrude Bustill Mossell
Joseph St. Pierre Ruffin
Victoria Earle Matthews
Ida B. Wells-Barnett
Mary Church Terrell
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Reviews
AALBC: These and so many other searing narratives combine to make Broken Utterances not merely a fascinating read, but a seminal contribution to the field of black feminist intellectual thinking. Read full review
Broken Utterances: An Inside Look
Sarah Parker Remond (1826-1894)
“The friends of the Negro should recognize the fact, that the process of degradation upon this deeply injured race has been slow and constant, but effective. The real capacities of the Negro race have never been thoroughly tested. With all the demoralizing influences by which they are surrounded, they still retain far more of that which is humanizing than their masters. No such acts of cruelty have ever emanated from the victims of slavery in the Southern states as have been again and again practised by their masters.”
· “Why Slavery Is Still Rampant” (Manchester, England speech) – 1859
· * “The Negroes in the United States of America” (London, England speech) – 1862
*Full or partial translation of this selection is included.
A great text for educators and students of history
The modern day interpretations make it easy for today's student to understand the language of the past
The hand drawn images by the author are beautiful and enhance the writing!
Fanny Jackson Coppin (1835-1913)
“I wish by no means to be among that class of people that counsel words without knowledge. We, as a people, have suffered greatly from what may be termed the ‘sizing-up,’ and the regulation ‘putting down,’ and setting forth of what it was possible for us to do. Our idea of getting an education did not come out of wanting to imitate any one whatever. It grew out of the uneasiness and the restlessness of the desires we felt within us; the desire to know, not just a little, but a great deal.”
· Speech given at the Congress of Representative Women – 1893
· Excerpts from Methods of Instruction – Exact date unknown (published 1913)
