African American Women's Rhetoric: The Search for Dignity, Personhood, and Honor (Race, Rites, and Rhetoric: Colors, Cultures, and Communication)

African American Women's Rhetoric is a comprehensive study of the ways in which African American women in politics, education, business, and other social contexts have tried to persuade their audiences to value what they say and who they are. Through detailed examinations of the rhetoric of a variety of women in important periods in American history, Deborah Atwater reveals that African American women today who engage in speech in the public sphere (such as Condoleezza Rice, Barbara Jordan, and others) stem from an important lineage of active, outspoken women. African American Women's Rhetoric: The Search for Dignity, Personhood, and Honor deals with the rhetoric of African American women from enslavement to current times, examining slave narratives and contemporary print, music, and other media surrounding the lives of African American women. Covering a variety of specific women and their rhetoric within the context of a historical period, the book provides central themes and strategic and social concerns of African American women and their environment. It frames, in some, cases, the rhetoric of contemporary women in politics and other fields of prominence_including Condoleeza Rice and Barbara Lee, among others. Deborah F. Atwater explores how African women today who engage in speech in the public sphere come from a historical line of active women who have been outspoken in politics, education, business, and various social contexts; heretofore, these women have not been studied in a comprehensive manner. Specifically, how do these African American women discuss themselves, and_more importantly_how do they represent who they are in various communities? How do these women persuade their diverse audiences to value what they say and who they are?African American Women's Rhetoric will be an invaluable contribution to upper-division undergraduate and graduate courses in Rhetoric, African American Rhetoric, History, and Women's Studies. African American Women's Rhetoric: The Search for Dignity, Personhood, and Honor deals with the rhetoric of African American women from enslavement to current times, examining slave narratives and contemporary print, music, and other media surrounding the lives of African American women. Covering a variety of specific women and their rhetoric within the context of a historical period, the book provides central themes and strategic and social concerns of African American women and their environment. It frames, in some, cases, the rhetoric of contemporary women in politics and other fields of prominence including Condoleeza Rice and Barbara Lee, among others. Deborah F. Atwater explores how African women today who engage in speech in the public sphere come from a historical line of active women who have been outspoken in politics, education, business, and various social contexts; heretofore, these women have not been studied in a comprehensive manner. Specifically, how do these African American women discuss themselves, and more importantly how do they represent who they are in various communities? How do these women persuade their diverse audiences to value what they say and who they are?African American Women's Rhetoric will be an invaluable contribution to upper-division undergraduate and graduate courses in Rhetoric, African American Rhetoric, History, and Women's Studies. African American Women's The Search for Dignity, Personhood, and Honor deals with the rhetoric of African American women from enslavement to current times, examining slave narratives and contemporary print, music, and other media surrounding the lives of African American women. Covering a variety of specific women and their rhetoric within the context of a historical period, the book provides central themes and strategic and social concerns of African American women and their environment. It frames, in some, cases, the rhetoric of contemporary women in politics and other fields of prominenceincluding Condoleeza Rice and Barbara Lee, among others. Deborah F. Atwater explores how African women today who engage in speech in the public sphere come from a historical line of active women who have been outspoken in politics, education, business, and various social contexts; heretofore, these women have not been studied in a comprehensive manner. Specifically, how do these African American women discuss themselves, andmore importantlyhow do they represent who they are in various communities? How do these women persuade their diverse audiences to value what they say and who they are? African American Women's Rhetoric will be an invaluable contribution to upper-division undergraduate and graduate courses in Rhetoric, African American Rhetoric, History, and Women's Studies. "At the heart of this book is the insight that African women who today engage in speech in the public sphere come from a historical line of active women who have been outspoken in politics, education, business, and various social contexts. How do these African American women discuss themselves, and - more importantly - how do they represent who they are in various communities? How do these women persuade their diverse audiences to value what they say and who they are? To answer these questions, Deborah F. Atwater examines the rhetoric of African American women from enslavement to current times, examining slave narratives and contemporary print, music, and other media surrounding the lives of African American women. Covering a variety of specific women and their rhetoric within the context of a historical period - including the rhetoric of contemporary women like Condoleezza Rice and Barbara Lee - the book uncovers the central themes and strategic and social concerns of African American women and their environment. This book will be an invaluable contribution to upper-division undergraduate and graduate courses in rhetoric, African American rhetoric, history, and women's studies." --Book Jacket Contents 8 Acknowledgments 10 Chapter 01. Awakenings 12 Chapter 02. And the Truth Shall Set You Free 36 Chapter 03. African American Women in the Civil War and Reconstruction 44 Chapter 04. Leading to World War I 56 Chapter 05. World War II and the Lives of Working-Class African American Women 76 Chapter 06. The Era of the Modern Civil Rights Movement: The Struggle for Rights Continues 92 Chapter 07. African American Women in Contemporary Politics and Political Organizations 112 Chapter 08. Contemporary Times: African American Women and Hip-Hop 136 Chapter 09. The Struggle Continues: Steps to Implementing Change 148 Bibliography 154 Index 174 About the Author 186 0739121774,978-0739121771,0739121766,9780739121764,0739131990,9780739131992 Lexington Books Awakenings -- And The Truth Shall Set You Free -- African American Women In The Civil War And Reconstruction -- Leading To World War I -- World War Ii And The Lives Of Working Class African American Women -- The Era Of The Modern Civil Rights Movement : The Struggle For Rights Continues -- African American Women In Contemporary Politics And Political Organizations -- Contemporary Times : African American Women And Hip-hop -- The Struggle Continues : Steps To Implementing Change. Deborah F. Atwater. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 143-162) And Index.