LOVE, ACTIVISM AND THE RESPECTABLE LIFE OF ALICE DUNBAR-NELSON by TARA T. GREEN.
Born in New Orleans in 1875 to a mother who was formerly enslaved and a father of questionable identity, Alice Dunbar-Nelson was a pioneering activist, writer, suffragist, and educator. Until now, Dunbar-Nelson has largely been viewed only in relation to her abusive ex-husband, the poet Paul Laurence Dunbar. This is the first book-length look at this major figure in Black women's history, covering her life from the post-reconstruction era through the Harlem Renaissance.Tara T. Green builds on Black feminist, sexuality, historical and cultural studies to create a literary biography that examines Dunbar-Nelson's life and legacy as a respectable activist – a woman who navigated complex challenges associated with resisting racism and sexism, and who defined her sexual identity and sexual agency within the confines of respectability politics. It's a book about the past, but it's also a book about the present that nods to the future. ... Description
Published ... Dec 16 2021
Edition ... 1st
Extent ... 280
ISBN ... 9781501382338
Imprint ... Bloomsbury Academic
Publisher ... Bloomsbury Publishing
"I am of the latter class, what E.C. Adams in 'Nigger to Nigger' immortalizes in the poem, 'Brass Ankles.' White enough to pass for white, but with a darker family background, a real love for the mother race, and no desire to be numbered among the white race." ... First Sentence, Introduction {Introducing A Respectable Activist}
In Alice, spectators found a woman who was "humorous", "interesting", and "nearly always pretty", at least by her account and some of the doting men in her life. But she was a Black woman, the daughter of of a former slave and a man who seemed not to have married her mother; and thispresented challenges as racial history's impact on the present status of Black women could not be overlooked {pg 28/29} ... Memorable Moment
Undoubtedly, my family inspired me to study the lives of Black folks through literature. I began my formal studies at Dillard University, where I was taught by professors who always seemed to enjoy being in the classroom. It was also there that I was selected to participate in a research mentoring program hosted by Duke University. That program taught me that I could pursue a career in studying the lives of Black folks. Today, I am a Black feminist community-engaged scholar, mentor, and university professor.
Follow Tara T. Green ... ~ Website ~ Instagram ~ Twitter ~
Read an extract