March kicks off with the beginning of Women’s History Month, with the theme being “Women Who Advocate for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.” From the well-known Harriet Tubman to women lawyers, this month’s display contains a plethora of materials that cover the accomplishments of women throughout history. As such, I have chosen 11 different books to showcase the stellar examples of this month’s Women’s History Month theme. Keep reading to find out what makes each of these books an excellent read and an excellent reason to come to the BDC and discover more.
Our first book is Combee: Harriet Tubman, the Combahee River Raid, and Black Freedom During the Civil War by Edda L. Fields-Black (2024). This book entails the meticulous planning and cunning that Harriet Tubman played during the Combahee River Raid. For a little bit of a history lesson, the Combahee River Raid was an operation conducted by the Union during the Civil War where the Union’s gunboats sailed up the Combahee River and raided several rice plantations freeing upwards of 700 slaves. I chose this particular book because of Harriet Tubman’s pivotal role that she played in this part of the war. Her efforts to free her people and fight, tooth and nail, for them perfectly fits into the theme of equity and inclusion.
The next book that is showcased is Letters and diary of Laura M. Towne by Laura M. Towne (2019). Laura M. Towne was a devoted and dedicated woman who lived on St. Helena Island for about 40 years. There, she created one of the first schools for African American people and provided homeopathic care for many African Americans found in and around St. Helena Island. The school she created was named Penn School. This particular book was chosen because of Towne’s daring and courage to create a school for African American people, in a time period when that was frowned upon, to say the very least. Towne fits the theme of equity and inclusion through her constant effort to care for and educate the African Americans that were treated so poorly.
On the second row of the display case you will find The journals of Charlotte Forten Grimké by Charlotte Forten Grimké (1988). Charlotte Forten Grimké was an African American who came down from Philadelphia to Port Royal in 1862. Here she taught other African Americans and even joined Laura M. Towne in teaching at her school, Penn School. Eventually Grimké was forced to move back up north due to her rapidly declining health and died on July 23, 1915. Grimké’s persistence and motivation to teach African Americans in a time where they were looked down upon is a perfect example of fighting for equity and inclusion.
Right next to The Combahee River Raid is A woman doctor's Civil War: Esther Hill Hawks' diary by Esther Hill Hawks (1984). Described as “the antithesis of southern womanhood”, Esther Hill Hawks was woman who was a physician, a teacher, a school administrator, a woman’s suffrage advocate, and an abolitionist. This book captures the story of Esther Hill Hawks and how she travelled down south during the Civil War to teach and administer aid as a doctor to all the African Americans she encountered. Hawks is an excellent example as someone who advocated for equity, diversity and inclusion, as she herself went outside of societal norms and became woman that stood out amongst others with the work she accomplished and the person she was.
The next book stood out to me because the author, Erica Armstrong Dunbar, used a term that is used a lot by the young generation of kids, teenagers, and you adults. This book is called She came to slay: the life and times of Harriet Tubman by Erica Armstrong Dunbar (2019). Capturing the life of Harriet Tubman, who was a suffragist, a leading abolitionist, and the most famous “conductor” of the Underground Railroad, a route that was used to take the enslaved African Americans up north to freedom, Dunbar writes a fascinating story that showcases who Harriet Tubman was. Dunbar’s story and history of Harriet Tubman shows how Harriet Tubman fit this month’s Women’s History Month theme of equity, diversity and inclusion.
Starting the third row of the display case is The life and letters of Kate Gleason (2010) by Janis F. Gleason. This book captures the story and history of Kate Gleason, a woman who was a mechanical engineer, real estate developer, and 19th century industrialist. Kate Gleason broke all societal norms by working in career’s that, at the time, were exclusive to men. Her ambition and cunning in the 19th and 20th centuries are what makes her an excellent example of equity, diversity and inclusion and why I chose to have this book put into the display case.
The next book is Carolyn: A Most Remarkable Lady by Buddy Clark (2018). Carolyn Corley Clark was a cartoonist at age 5, became a writer and illustrator at age 8, and a prize winning short-story author at 15. She also designed jewelry for her own jewelry story and later became a tour guide In historic Beaufort, South Carlina. This book captures all of what she accomplished, from heartfelt moments, to falling in love, to her achievements she worked so hard for. This book provides an excellent example of inclusion for Women’s History Month.
The final book on the third row is Women Leaders in South Carolina: An Oral History by Rock Hill by S.C.: Winthrop College Archives and Special Collections (1984). This book is a collection of memoirs, interviews, and recollections of several women that entail their lives, how they achieved success, and their different perspectives of their achievements. I chose this book because it’s main, and only, focus is women, how they became leaders, and how they view their success and the road that led them there. It provides an insight that you do not normally see, as, normally, when a book is made about someone, it is typically a biography or a recollection of their journey, not an interview or personal account.
On the bottom row is The Letterbook of Eliza Lucas Pinckney by Eliza Lucas Pinckney (1997). Eliza Lucas Pinckney pioneered a large-scale cultivation of indigo in South Carolina, and, among other things, managed her father’s large-scale plantation holdings. She also took it upon herself to teach the African Americans that worked on her plantation and cared for their well-being. What makes her stand out to me is she accomplished all of this while widowed, in a time where women in power was no popular and during a time where treating the African Americans as anything other than slaves was widely frowned upon. Eliza Lucas Pinckney is a shining example of diversity and inclusion during Women’s History Month.
The last book, found on the bottom row is Portia Steps Up to the Bar: The First Women Lawyers of South Carolina by Ruth Williams Cupp (2003). This book is about a group of women that became the first female attorneys of the 20th century, the hardships they encountered, the success they achieved, and the criticism and discrimination they faced. This book earned its spot on the display case because it is a stellar example of fighting for inclusion, equity, and diversity in a field that was dominated by men and in a time where women were expected to be nothing more than a housewife.
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