Church, school, and club constitute the triumvirate of associations central to the lives of the women chronicled in Homespun Heroines and Other Women of Distinction, compiled and edited by Hallie Quinn Brown.

Large Print EditionThis book is presented as an evidence of appreciation and as a token of regard to the history-making women of our race. One chief object of these introductory sentences is to secure for this book the interest of our youth that they may have instructive light on the struggles endured and the obstacles overcome by our pioneer women.It has been prepared with the hope that they will read it and derive fresh strength and courage from its records to stimulate and cause them to cleave more tenaciously to the truth and to battle more heroically for the right.The characters and facts herein set forth are veritable history. In presenting this volume to the public, it is proper to remark that it has been prepared from a settled conviction that something of the kind is needed. It is our anxious desire to preserve for future reference an account of these women, their life and character and what they accomplished under the most trying and adverse circumstances. . . .

Originally published in 1926, Homespun Heroines and Other Women of Distinction, edited and co-authored by the famous educator and elocutionist Hallie Quinn Brown, was originally published by the Aldine Publishing Company in Xenia, Ohio. This collection of historical sketches marked the first biographical encyclopedia of African American women authored by African American women. Organized chronologically by the year of each heroine's birth, this volume tells the story of fifty-eight trailblazing black women, from well known luminaries like Sojourner Truth and Harriet Tubman to abolitionists, authors, teachers, businesswomen, and many others whose names have been left out of history books. Homespun Heroines and Other Women of Distinction powerfully reminds readers how much of American history was shaped by the bravery and diligence of women of color.

A groundbreaking collective biography narrating the history of emancipation through the life stories of women of African descent in the Americas.

A remarkable memoir about two sisters and their brave acts of resistance and heroism during World War II Ida and Louise Cook are two ordinary Englishwomen, seemingly destined never to stray from their quiet London suburb and comfortable civil service jobs. But in 1923, a chance encounter sparked a determination to rescue of dozens of Jews facing persecution and death. Even when Ida began to earn thousands as a successful romance novelist, the sisters never departed from their homespun virtues of thrift, hard work, self-sacrifice and unwavering moral conviction. Through ingenuity, bottomless goodwill, and incredible bravery, the Cook sisters embark on dangerous undercover missions into the heart of Nazi Germany. They directed every spare resource toward saving as many people as they could from Hitler’s death camps, and coordinated networks of satellite families in safe nations for displaced Jews. No one would have predicted such glamorous and daring lives for Ida and Louise Cook—but saving people became their greatest happiness. First published in 1950, Ida’s memoir of the adventures she and Louise shared remains as fresh, vital and entertaining as the woman who wrote it, and is a moving testament to the extraordinary acts of courage by two everyday heroes. “Safe Passage is well worth reading.” —The New Yorker

Evans reveals how black women demanded space as students and asserted their voices as educators - despite such barriers as violence, discrimination, and oppressive campus policies - contributing in significant ways to higher education in the United States. She argues that their experiences, ideas, and practices can inspire contemporary educators to create an intellectual democracy in which all people have a voice.