Black women and the fight for human rights

Keisha N Blain explores how black women in the United States overcame obstacles in their own lives to campaign for freedom across the globe

Published: September 12, 2025 at 8:00 AM

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Despite facing significant obstacles in their own lives, black women in the United States were at the forefront of campaigns for human rights at home and abroad. Historian Keisha N Blain tells the stories of some of these women who, in the 19th and 20th centuries, worked outside the corridors of power to fight for freedom across the globe. She was joined in conversation by Rob Attar.

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Keisha N Blain is the author of Without Fear: Black Women and the Making of Human Rights (W. W. Norton & Company, 2025).

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Authors

Rob AttarHead of content and editor of HistoryExtra magazine

Rob Attar is head of content and editor of HistoryExtra magazine

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