Linda M. Perkins Livres

Focusing on the pivotal role of education in the lives of African American women, the book chronicles their journey from early abolitionist colleges to post-Civil War institutions. It highlights the struggles and triumphs of Black women as students, professors, and administrators, detailing their contributions to emerging educational frameworks like Howard University. The narrative also explores the tensions between gender and race during the postwar era, illustrating how these women navigated traditional roles while advocating for broader educational opportunities in the 1960s.

From the United States' earliest days, African Americans considered education essential for their freedom and progress. Linda M. Perkins's study ranges across educational and geographical settings to tell the stories of Black women and girls as students, professors, and administrators. Beginning with early efforts and the establishment of abolitionist colleges, Perkins follows the history of Black women's post-Civil War experiences at elite white schools and public universities in northern and midwestern states. Their presence in Black institutions like Howard University marked another advancement, as did Black women becoming professors and administrators. But such progress intersected with race and education in the postwar era. As gender questions sparked conflict between educated Black women and Black men, it forced the former to contend with traditional notions of women's roles even as the 1960s opened educational opportunities for all African Americans. A first of its kind history, To Advance the Race is an enlightening look at African American women and their multi-generational commitment to the ideal of education as a collective achievement.