Born into slavery during the Civil War, Mary Church Terrell (1863-1954) would become one of the most prominent activists of her time, with a career bridging the late nineteenth century to the civil rights movement of the 1950s. The first president of the National Association of Colored Women and a founding member of the NAACP, Terrell collaborated closely with the likes of Frederick Douglass, Ida B. Wells, and W. E. B. Du Bois. Unceasing Militant is the first full-length biography of Terrell, bringing her vibrant voice and personality to life. Though most accounts of Terrell focus almost exclusively on her public activism, Alison M. Parker also looks at the often turbulent, unexplored moments in her life to provide a more complete account of a woman dedicated to changing the culture and institutions that perpetuated inequality throughout the United States. Drawing on newly discovered letters and diaries, Parker weaves together the joys and struggles of Terrell's personal, private life with the challenges and achievements of her public, political career, producing a stunning portrait of an often-underrecognized political leader. This new edition includes a new preface in which Parker reflects on the resurgence of public interest in Terrell and discusses the newly available digitized files of Terrell's papers at the Library of Congress.
Alison M. Parker is professor of history and women and gender studies at the University of Delaware.
Extraordinary. . . . Parker's biography will likely stand as the definitive work on Terrell for many years."-American Historical Review "Parker's rich biography of African American activist Mary Church Terrell . . . illustrates what true intersectional political histories look like."-Journal of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era "A sweeping and insightful narrative of one of the most accomplished Black women of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. . . . Parker's deeply researched and gracefully written study offers a compelling narrative and a ground-level perspective of Terrell and the historical context in which she lived."-Journal of American History "With access to sources previously held only in private collections, Parker explores new avenues of Terrell's life...Parker's deeply researched volume adds to our historical understanding of Terrell's life and demonstrates how a Black woman's public interactions in an oppressive system shaped and affected her personal life."-Journal of Southern History "Spotlights the limited opportunities for Black women's political leadership and recognition for that important work, as well as the economic precarity with which so many Black women lived and struggled while maintaining a commitment to racial and gender justice. . . . Those of us engaged in teaching and researching the long struggle for Black freedom, its organizational and coalitional formations, its culture and personalities, and internal politics and negotiations will greatly benefit."-Paula C. Austin, Journal of African American History "Unceasing Militant is an admiring yet fair tribute to activist Mary Church Terrell, whose sustained, determined belief is inspiring."-Foreword Reviews
