Informative collection of speeches by black women - it is enlightening to read the direct words of women whose names and actions I've heard of. What struck me almost right away was how these women have been telling us things for over 150 years and are still telling us the same things, and they are still relevant. In addition, some interesting differences were highlighted between our times and theirs. For example, one nineteenth century speaker (I would have to go back through the book to see which one) suggested that white women ought to realize black women would be their strongest allies in preventing the mixing of the races - because of course at that time the main reason for the existence of multiracial people was white men raping enslaved women.

In one or two cases I wondered whether the final proofreading hadn't been done, because one of the early speeches, which would not be transcribed from audio, had passages that were basically incoherent, and that did not seem likely to exist in the original. I hope this important resource will receive another proofread.

Description
An uplifting collection of speeches by African American women, curated by the civil and human rights activist, scholar, and authors.

Gathering an array of recognized names as well as new discoveries, Bell curates two centuries of stirring public addresses by Black women, from Harriet Tubman and Ella Baker to Barbara Lee and Barbara Jordan. These magnificent speakers explore ethics, morality, courage, authenticity, and leadership, highlighting Black women speaking truth to power in service of freedom and justice.

With an expansive historical lens, Blackbirds Singing celebrates the tradition of Black women’s political speech and labor, allowing the voices and powerful visions of African American women to speak across generations building power for the world.

My thoughts:
This book delivers on the promise of the description. One thing that I appreciated was that the speeches were presented in it's original form, with words crossed out and all. These timely speeches are a great reference and inspiration in today's dark times. I found myself highlighting passages that I will share and meditate on.