Book Talk with Keisha N. Blain

Join the National Civil Rights Museum for a powerful conversation with acclaimed historian, bestselling author, and Brown University professor Dr. Keisha Blain on her groundbreaking new book, Without Fear: Black Women and the Making of Human Rights. The hybrid event’s discussion is moderated by Tami Sawyer, a Memphis public servant and civil rights activist.

Spanning more than 200 years, Without Fear tells the often-overlooked stories of Black women who advanced human rights at home and abroad. From the era of slavery through the mothers of police violence victims in the late twentieth century, these women shaped the global understanding of human rights, championing equality and justice for marginalized communities worldwide.

Acclaimed historian Keisha N. Blain tells the story of these women—from the well-known, like Ida B. Wells, Madam C. J. Walker, and Lena Horne, to those who are still less known, including Pearl Sherrod, Aretha McKinley, and Marguerite Cartwright. Blain captures human rights thinking and activism from the ground up with Black women at the center, working outside the traditional halls of power.