Then & Now

African American Women’s Definitions of Success: A Conversation on Homemade Citizenship with Koritha Mitchell

October 19, 2020 UCLA Luskin Center for History and Policy Episode 27
Then & Now
African American Women’s Definitions of Success: A Conversation on Homemade Citizenship with Koritha Mitchell
Show Notes

From Frances Harper to Michelle Obama, Black women have faced countless forms of violent aggression at the intersection of racism and sexism. Professor Koritha Mitchell, Literary Historian and Professor of English at Ohio State University, discusses the way these women define and redefine success in the face of this violence, challenging us to see their lives not just through the lens of protest, but through the lens of perseverance and achievement as well. Her book, From Slave Cabins to the White House: Homemade Citizenship in African American Culture, uses this lens to read the experience of Black women throughout U.S. history. This episode is hosted by UCLA Historian and Professor Katherine Marino.