In Search of Sisterhood Author: Paula J. Giddings | Language: English | ISBN:
B001R1LCH6 | Format: EPUB
In Search of Sisterhood Description
This history of the largest block women's organization in the United States is not only the story of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority (DST), but also tells of the increasing involvement of black women in the political, social, and economic affairs of America. Founded at a time when liberal arts education was widely seen as either futile, dangerous, or impractical for blacks, especially women, DST is, in Giddings's words, a "compelling reflection of block women's aspirations for themselves and for society."
Giddings notes that unlike other organizations with racial goals, Delta Sigma Theta was created to change and benefit individuals rather than society. As a sorority, it was formed to bring women together as sisters, but at the some time to address the divisive, often class-related issues confronting black women in our society. There is, in Giddings's eyes, a tension between these goals that makes Delta Sigma Theta a fascinating microcosm of the struggles of black women and their organizations.
DST members have included Mary McLeod Bethune, Mary Church Terrell, Margaret Murray Washington, Shirley Chisholm, Barbara Jordan, and, on the cultural side, Leontyne Price, Lena Horne, Ruby Dee, Judith Jamison, and Roberta Flack. In Search of Sisterhood is full of compelling, fascinating anecdotes told by the Deltas themselves, and illustrated with rare early photographs of the Delta women.
- File Size: 1068 KB
- Print Length: 336 pages
- Publisher: HarperCollins e-books (October 6, 2009)
- Sold by: HarperCollins Publishers
- Language: English
- ASIN: B001R1LCH6
- Text-to-Speech: Enabled
X-Ray:
- Lending: Not Enabled
- Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #67,884 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
- #17
in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Nonfiction > Professional & Technical > Education > By Level > College - #17
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in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Education & Reference > College & University
- #17
in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Nonfiction > Professional & Technical > Education > By Level > College - #17
in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Nonfiction > Politics & Social Sciences > Social Sciences > Special Groups > Ethnic Studies - #30
in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Education & Reference > College & University
I was never a Greek, but I read this book because I am familiar with Delta Sigma Theta from their activities at my alma mater, and have enjoyed Paula Giddings's other research about black women's history. Unsurprisingly, I also enjoyed this book. It explains how Delta Sigma Theta provided a critical organizing space for collegiate black women in an era trying to make them choose between the identities and at a time when their being in college itself was a rarity.
In addition to the social events, this sorority also had explicitly political events. From inception, DST worked for civil rights, reflecting their steadfast belief in community progress through community service. While other Greek organizations do community service here-and-there, this is the backbone of DST according to Giddings.
Their first public act was participation in a women's suffrage march (pp. 55-60). Unfortunately, some of the white suffragists they marched with were not grasping the importance of opposing racism (pp. 56-57, pp. 59-60) while opposing sexism. Before 'intersecting identities' became a buzz word in feminist research circles, DST members already understood they could not choose between being a woman or a black. The social justice they embraced and advanced consequently had to recognize them as being both.
The list of Deltas who were in public service is inspiring. Ida B. Wells-Barnett, Betty Shabazz, Barbara Jordan, Shirley Chisolm, and Marian Wright Edelman are only a few. Even though the organization also faced charges of elitism, DST ultimately comes across as one of the most accessible service organizations. In addition to supporting suffrage, the organization opposed lynching and reached out to single mothers (pp.
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