Nannie Helen Burroughs: A Documentary Portrait of an Early Civil Rights Pioneer, 1900–1959

by Nannie Helen Burroughs, Kelisha B. Graves (Editor)

This volume brings together the writings of Nannie Helen Burroughs, an educator, civil rights activist, and leading voice in the African American community during the first half of the twentieth century. Nannie Helen Burroughs (1879–1961) is just one of the many African American intellectuals whose work has long been excluded from the literary canon. In her time, Burroughs was a celebrated African American (or, in her era, a "race woman") female activist, educator, and intellectual. This book represents a landmark contribution to the African American intellectual historical project by allowing readers to experience Burroughs in her own words. This anthology of her works written between 1900 and 1959 encapsulates Burroughs's work as a theologian, philosopher, activist, educator, intellectual, and evangelist, as well as the myriad of ways that her career resisted definition. Burroughs rubbed elbows with such African American historical icons as W. E. B. DuBois, Booker T. Washington, Anna Julia Cooper, Mary Church Terrell, and Mary McLeod Bethune, and these interactions represent much of the existing, easily available literature on Burroughs's life. This book aims to spark a conversation surrounding Burroughs's life and work by making available her own tracts on God, sin, the intersections of church and society, black womanhood, education, and social justice. Moreover, the volume is an important piece of the growing movement toward excavating African American intellectual and philosophical thought and reformulating the literary canon to bring a diverse array of voices to the table.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

236 pages, Hardcover

Published May 31, 2019

Reviews

[J Earl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nannie Helen Burroughs: A Documentary Portrait of an Early Civil Rights Pioneer, 1900-1959, edited by Kelisha B Graves, is a much needed collection to fill in the gap left by her absence in so many narratives of the civil rights movement.

Burroughs' writing covers the spectrum from strictly religious pieces to those focused more directly on secular issues. But one major thing to keep in mind in understanding her ideas is that nothing she did was separate from her faith. Her activism, her ideas for a better country, her concept of making the country more racially equitable are all based on her beliefs and her faith in God.

One reason this needs to be kept in the front of the mind while reading is because some of her comments and ideas sound strange to 21st century ears. But understanding the how and why she came to those ideas helps us to appreciate the points at the core of her writing.

This is valuable both for the historical aspect, to better understand the history, but also for today's polarized environment. Where she placed her focus, who she addressed, and how she maintained her concepts of right and wrong speak to everyone today who is resisting the evil that is currently running this country (into the ground). My moral foundation may not be the same as hers, but her strength and adherence to what she believed can help guide me to remain true to mine. We must go high, in other words.

Graves writes a wonderful overview of Burroughs' life and evolving thought and also, in each section, helps to contextualize the essays and speeches that we are about to read. These additions from Graves makes this volume even more valuable for both the historian and the activist.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via Edelweiss.

[Daniel Kleven · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fantastic introduction to the life and writings of an important Black woman, civil rights activist, organizer, and Baptist leader. Kelisha Graves has collected a wide range of Burrough's writings and organized them by theme:

- Religious Thought
- Social, Political, and Race-Centered Thought
- Patriotism, Respectability, and Education
- Group Politics, Leadership, and Race Work
- Racial Violence, Social Justice, Politics, and Democracy
- Thoughts and Words toward the White World

Burrough's life and writing are powerful, and worth reflection. I'm intensely interested in Baptist life and thought, the Black church, and the broader dynamics of race and religion in America, and Burroughs's insights on all these subjects are powerful, insightful, prophetic, and necessary.

Graves includes a helpful introduction to Burrough's life, and includes several other perspectives on Burroughs from her contemporaries at the end. The citations and bibliography are an excellent start for further study. This is a great book making a great figure available to us. Thank you Dr. Graves!

[BMR, LCSW · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got an ADC from Edelweiss and the publisher for review.

I had never heard of Nannie Helen Burroughs before coming across this title.

This book is a compilation of her writings and speeches. She was heavy on the respectability politics, telling Black men 'just go out and get jobs' without considering the fact that there were far more jobs that would NOT hire Black men than there were jobs available to them.

Miss Burroughs greatest legacy was the founding of the National Training School for Women and Girls in Washington DC over a century ago.

Recommended for those interested in learning about unsung HERoes in American History, and those interested in broadening their Black history knowledge beyond the usual names and stories.

[Dawn Wells · Rating 4 out of 5]

A remarkable story about Racial equality, women’s rights and a pioneer of her own school for African Americans.

Juneteenth 2021