Bøger i Women, Gender, and Sexuality in American History serien

Shows how black beauticians in the Jim Crow era parlayed their economic independence and access to a public community space into platforms for activism. This book argues that the beauty industry played a crucial role in the creation of the modern black female identity.

Examines the folklore of Mary Ellen Pleasant's real and imagined powers. Addressing the lack of a historical record of black women's lives, this book argues that the silences and mysteries of Pleasant's past, whether never recorded or intentionally omitted, reveal as much about her life as what has been documented.