Without Fear: Black Women and the Making of Human Rights

by Keisha N. Blain Narrated by Machelle Williams

Overview

Even before they were recognized as citizens of the United States, Black women understood that the fights for civil and human rights were inseparable. Over the course of two hundred years, they were at the forefront of national and international movements for social change, weaving connections between their own and others' freedom struggles around the world.



Without Fear tells how, during American history, Black women made human rights theirs: from worldwide travel and public advocacy in the global Black press to their work for the United Nations, they courageously and effectively moved human rights beyond an esoteric concept to an active, organizing principle. Acclaimed historian Keisha N. Blain tells the story of these women-from the well-known, like Ida B. Wells, Madam C. J. Walker, and Lena Horne, to those who are still less known, including Pearl Sherrod, Aretha McKinley, and Marguerite Cartwright. Blain captures human rights thinking and activism from the ground up with Black women at the center, working outside the traditional halls of power.



By shouldering intersecting forms of oppression, Black women have long been in a unique position to fight for freedom and dignity. Without Fear is an account of their aspirations, strategies, and struggles to pioneer a human rights approach to combating systems of injustice.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

"This well-written and deeply researched study of Black women’s fight for human rights would be a welcome addition for readers interested in Black history and social justice."— Library Journal, starred review

"A fresh look at the fight for human rights reveals the unsung leadership of Black women."— Kirkus Reviews

"Eye-opening… A thoroughly researched and invigorating look at a robust grassroots push for human rights in the 20th century."— Publishers Weekly

"In this meticulously detailed, distinctly illuminating, and invaluable history, Blain covers generations of trailblazing women."— Amanda Dee Booklist

"Keisha N. Blain has written a necessary and bracing history of Black women’s critical role over the past two centuries in defining the concept of human rights. Moving beyond the focus on diplomats and famous philosophers, Without Fear highlights the words and actions of the most marginalized women in society, whose insistence on the natural, universal, and equal rights of all human beings have made them an inspiring example to the world."— Annette Gordon-Reed, author of On Juneteenth

"In Without Fear, distinguished historian Keisha N. Blain takes us on epic journey through time as she shines a light on the too often overlooked generations of Black American women, who, from the ground up, advanced the cause of human rights at home and abroad. This is an important, and accessible work that helps to fill in a major void in our shared historical narrative. It’s also an inspiring study of how Black women have continuously carried the torch of justice and made the cause of human rights their own for the uplift of all."— Henry Louis Gates, Jr., author of The Black Box

"Every page of Without Fear highlights Keisha N. Blain’s research prowess. She powerfully weaves together stories from both history and the present to paint a moving portrait of what is true: Black women have always been—and remain—at the forefront of the struggle for freedom. A must-read for anyone who truly wants to understand America, and the world at large."— Sharon McMahon, best-selling author of The Small and the Mighty and creator of Sharon Says So

"Keisha N. Blain has written an elegant and insightful history of Black female civil rights activists who helped to build the movement for human rights from the bottom up. Rather than telling a conventional tale of intellectuals, diplomacy, and high politics, Blain uncovers a long line of marginalized citizens who forced the world to reckon with basic questions about global justice based on their own struggles with racial discrimination. Without Fear provides a fresh perspective on the ongoing effort to protect the safety and dignity of individuals everywhere around the globe."— Julian E. Zelizer, author of Burning Down the House

"In this engaging and important study, Keisha N. Blain reveals little known dimensions of Black women activists we already know and introduces us to others who are overlooked in our standard histories. As she aptly shows, their fight against fascism and colonialism abroad as well as discriminations of race and gender at home is evidence that the breadth of Black women’s activism is as wide as the world itself."— Paula J. Giddings, author of IDA: A Sword Among Lions, Ida B. Wells and the Campaign Against Lynching

"Without Fear tells the stories of Black women who, like Deborah in the Bible, have engaged in social justice agitation, refusing to simply suffer by engaging in the redemptive work of challenging injustice while in the midst of it. Each of us can and must learn from them if we are to reconstruct America and build a just world."— Reverend Dr. William J. Barber II, author of White Poverty

Kirkus Reviews

2025-07-18
Eyes on the prize.

Though there is a rich bibliography about Black women in the United States, Blain asserts that this is the first overview profiling those engaged in the struggle for human rights, an area long associated with white men and institutions. A professor of Africana studies and history at Brown University, Blain argues that long before the term “human rights” became part of the public discourse, Black women were already advocating that all people should be granted rights and protection based on their humanity. In this rigorously documented history, the author illustrates how Black women from many walks of life made the link between racial violence at home and genocide and apartheid abroad, identifying the common roots of oppression in slavery and colonialism. Many names are well known, but Blain puts their work in a new context. Journalist Ida B. Wells campaigned vigorously against lynching as a crime against humanity not only in the United States but in Europe. Singer Lena Horne wrote a weekly column in thePeople’s Voice, condemning racism in the U.S. and supporting anti-colonial struggles and the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The mothers of the Scottsboro Boys advocated for justice in the 1930s, as did the mother of Amadou Diallo seven decades later, “politicizing their roles as mothers, daughters, and sisters to call attention to the devaluation of Black lives.” Fannie Lou Hamer said, “I’ve passed equal rights and I’m fighting for human rights.” Less-known figures include Maria Stewart, a former indentured servant who wrote a pamphlet, published by William Lloyd Garrison in 1831, advocating equality for all. Aretha B. McKinley, at the time the only Black female lobbyist on Capitol Hill, organized an “avalanche” of letters in 1960 to prove to skeptical lawmakers that Blacks supported civil rights legislation. And Mary Church Terrell, the daughter of formerly enslaved parents, traveled to Zurich in 1919 for the International Congress of Women. Many of these women merit a book of their own.

A fresh look at the fight for human rights reveals the unsung leadership of Black women.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940195557782
Publisher:	HighBridge Company
Publication date:	09/16/2025
Edition description:	Unabridged

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