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Sick and Tired of Being Sick and Tired: Black Women's Health Activism in America, 1890-1950
Sick and Tired of Being Sick and Tired moves beyond the depiction of African Americans as mere recipients of aid or as victims of neglect and highlights the ways black health activists created public health programs and influenced public policy at every opportunity. Smith also sheds new light on the infamous Tuskegee syphilis experiment by situating it within the context of black public health activity, reminding us that public health work had oppressive as well as progressive consequences.
288 pages, Paperback
First published July 31, 1995
243 people want to read
About the author
Susan L. Smith
3 books1 followerSusan L. Smith is a professor of history at the University of Alberta, Canada.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
September 24, 2013
For a book about women activists, Smith's "Sick and Tired of Being Sick and Tired" sure does focus a lot on men! The final two chapters, on the Alpha Kappa Alpha's MS Health Project and the state's regulation of midwifery are the most focused on black women's efforts to reshape a discriminatory medical system. Smith argues that the kind of activism these women took on connects the Progressive and Civil Rights era-- a compelling and interesting argument. She also highlights how women, not men, did the bulk of grassroots organizing around health.
It's a short book and a fine overview of black health activism in the early 20th century. However, readers interested in an in depth account of medical/health rights, health disparities, or segregation may want to read it in concert with other, more detailed works.
It's a short book and a fine overview of black health activism in the early 20th century. However, readers interested in an in depth account of medical/health rights, health disparities, or segregation may want to read it in concert with other, more detailed works.
December 16, 2023
Susan Smith writes a history of Black women's health activism and demonstrates the contributions of laywomen to public health work. Laywomen played a key role because segregation limited the number of black medical experts. Health programs Black women created reached a wide audience. Smith explores gender, class, and political dynamics of one phase of the Black struggle for improved health. Smith uses her book to place her topic in the idea of the long civil rights movement.
"The history of Black women's health activism shows that the lines of continuity stretch from the Progressive Era to the New Deal and on into the civil rights era."
Black health reform was gendered. Men held the power and women did the grassroots work. Black health activism in the US emerged at a time when the welfare state was expanding and Black rights were decreasing. Smith shows that middle-class Black activists shaped government policy by injecting concern for Black health into Southern and National public health agenda. The book is split up into two sections: (1) tracing the development of 20th-century Black health movements and (2) investigating the implementation of health policy by discussing case studies of Black women's public health work in the rural south.
My favourite part of this book was the last chapter which looks at the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority and its involvement in health activism. She looks at them specifically in Mississippi and how in working for health activism they were setting the foundations for civil rights activism that was to come. Smith says The AKA sorority volunteers were an advance guard of a future army of activists who sought to transform the South in the coming years.
Smith ends by showing that African Americans created their solutions to Black health problems. She shows that the healthcare arena continues to be a site for social change and political activism as the nation grapples with how to meet the needs of underserved and uninsured Americans.
"The history of Black women's health activism shows that the lines of continuity stretch from the Progressive Era to the New Deal and on into the civil rights era."
Black health reform was gendered. Men held the power and women did the grassroots work. Black health activism in the US emerged at a time when the welfare state was expanding and Black rights were decreasing. Smith shows that middle-class Black activists shaped government policy by injecting concern for Black health into Southern and National public health agenda. The book is split up into two sections: (1) tracing the development of 20th-century Black health movements and (2) investigating the implementation of health policy by discussing case studies of Black women's public health work in the rural south.
My favourite part of this book was the last chapter which looks at the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority and its involvement in health activism. She looks at them specifically in Mississippi and how in working for health activism they were setting the foundations for civil rights activism that was to come. Smith says The AKA sorority volunteers were an advance guard of a future army of activists who sought to transform the South in the coming years.
Smith ends by showing that African Americans created their solutions to Black health problems. She shows that the healthcare arena continues to be a site for social change and political activism as the nation grapples with how to meet the needs of underserved and uninsured Americans.
August 14, 2017
For anyone who is interested in African American health activism, this book is incredibly important book. . I am a health activist and I had NO idea about events chronicled in this informative book. Well documented and a must read for feminists. Thank you Dr. Smith!
March 28, 2025
It is striking how politically nuanced/unopinionated this book is for being named after a Fannie Lou Hammer quote.
Outside of the comparatively fiery section on the Tuskegee Syphilis experiments (you can tell she really disliked other historical work on the topic and I appreciate that). The first half of the book (and the final chapter) is like these middle class Black women usually had a strong disdain for poor people and or were sexually repressive but they did a lot of important work. 2nd half is more interesting cases which usually are retold in a similarly nuanced way, were parts of the process which led to the elimination of grand midwives good or bad depends who you ask 🤷♂️. This book is more about providing the context for any argument someone with more of a POV could make and thats super helpful for me.
I honestly respect the commitment to barley having an opinion other than X groups did Y work, but the rarity of arguments presented from the text could make it a boring read for those not already interested in the topic.
Nice neatly written quick read on the topic at hand.
Outside of the comparatively fiery section on the Tuskegee Syphilis experiments (you can tell she really disliked other historical work on the topic and I appreciate that). The first half of the book (and the final chapter) is like these middle class Black women usually had a strong disdain for poor people and or were sexually repressive but they did a lot of important work. 2nd half is more interesting cases which usually are retold in a similarly nuanced way, were parts of the process which led to the elimination of grand midwives good or bad depends who you ask 🤷♂️. This book is more about providing the context for any argument someone with more of a POV could make and thats super helpful for me.
I honestly respect the commitment to barley having an opinion other than X groups did Y work, but the rarity of arguments presented from the text could make it a boring read for those not already interested in the topic.
Nice neatly written quick read on the topic at hand.
March 7, 2015
Interesting read about health activism in the first half of the 20th century in the South. I think the writer had some difficulty getting sources to focus on *women's* activism in the South, as opposed to activism from men and women; a lot of this covers the activities of men, and it was a very short book. What she does cover is convincing: women essentially filled in the spaces neglected by government health programs. Whether there is a direct continuity to the Civil Rights Movement is a tougher sale, and I'm not sure where I fall on that. I think it's at least in part true.
One aside: Particularly with respect to her chapter on the Tuskegee study, I think this book would have benefited from engaging with disease etiology and biology a bit more. Examining Tuskegee: The Infamous Syphilis Study and Its Legacy was much stronger in that regard, and, I think, has more explanatory power about the actions of the doctors and Nurse Rivers than this book.
One aside: Particularly with respect to her chapter on the Tuskegee study, I think this book would have benefited from engaging with disease etiology and biology a bit more. Examining Tuskegee: The Infamous Syphilis Study and Its Legacy was much stronger in that regard, and, I think, has more explanatory power about the actions of the doctors and Nurse Rivers than this book.
December 5, 2009
Read review at http://letitread.blogspot.com/2009/11...
January 2, 2015
must read for any health specialist who wants to understand health disparities among african american communities!
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews