A vital, inspirational book.

A series of portraits of strong Black women, both famous and forgotten.

Everyone knows Michelle Obama, Rosa Parks, and Nina Simone. But can you swear you’ve heard of Sojourner Truth, Audre Lorde, and Darling Légitimus?

From the West Indies to the United States by way of Paris, the historian Audrey Célestine looks back at the lives of these free, inspirational, Black women, some of whom have been erased by the march of history.

The author records the achievements of more than sixty Black women—singers, artists, writers, and others—from the abolition of slavery to the present day. They come from all walks of life, but all have one thing in common: they refused to let the color of their skin limit their lives. Far from accepting the subaltern place history held in store for them, they stood up and spoke out against enslavement, segregation, and racism. Their heiresses are still out there, fighting with new weapons and strategies.