Since the advent of the
women's movement, women have often expressed the belief that Black and White
women in society have a great many common concerns and are, in fact, natural
allies and friends. The fact is that, as adults, relatively few women are close
friends with a woman of another racial background. In DIVIDED SISTERS,
Midge Wilson and Kathy Russell, the acclaimed co-authors (with Ronald Hall) of The
Color Complex, tackle the nature of relationships between Black and White
women, and explore how women from different racial backgrounds do, and don't
get along. Hard-hitting and filled with first-person accounts and illuminating
anecdotes, ultimately hopeful and yet supremely uncompromising in its
examination of the way women interact, DIVIDED SISTERS is nothing less
than a landmark book that will open readers' eyes to the realities and
challenges of bridging what is too frequently an unbreachable cultural
divide. NOTE: This book, in its
entirety, is posted below.
To contact the authors for talks and
presentations on the topic of women's cross-race relations, or on the subject
of colorism as featured in their other co-authored book, The Color Complex, you may
email Dr. Midge Wilson at mwilson@depaul.edu, or call her at 773 325-4258.
Chapter 1: History: The Divisions Begin
Chapter 2: Childhood: From Schoolgirls to Homegirls
Chapter 3: Surface Divisions: Issues of Beauty and Style
Chapter 5: Making Friends: Relationships on the Campus, int he Workplace, and Beyond
Chapter 6: Social Activism: Shared Agenda and Uneasy Alliances
Chapter 7: Relations on the Home Front
Chapter 8: Pop Culture and the Media
Epilogue: Sisters Beneath the Skin
For other readings associated with this topic, see Readings.
These readings are from a course offered by Dr. Midge Wilson at DePaul University based on her book Divided Sisters. For the course webpage, link here.
