"The history of African American women has become an important topic in the intellectual life of this country in the last fifteen years; and Darlene Clark Hine has been one of those most responsible for bringing the subject to its current level of importance." --from the Foreword by John Hope Franklin"In this absolutely needed collection of essays by one of the leading American historians of our generation, the richly intertwined community-making and self-making that shaped the historical experience of African American women shines out like a beacon." --Susan M. Reverby, Luella LaMer Associate Professor for Women's Studies, Wellesley College