Keisha Blain, a professor of Africana Studies and History at Brown University, has dedicated her career to telling the stories of Black women who have advanced the causes of freedom and democracy in America. Her work has been prominently featured in academic journals and popular outlets like The Atlantic and Time.
Blain’s latest book, Without Fear: Black Women and the Making of Human Rights, documents the history of the struggle for human rights in America as seen through the eyes of Black women. Their ideas and experiences from the 19th century to the present day paved the way for social change and form the centerpiece of Blain’s book.
Blain recently discussed Without Fear with Ocean State Media political reporter Ian Donnis.
Interview highlights
On why her book is relevant in America today
Keisha Blain: Well, this is a sweeping history of human rights told through the ideas and experiences of black women in the United States. I do think it’s relevant because it grapples with a topic that in so many ways is timeless. I think human rights continues to shape our society. Certainly we are still fighting for human rights even as we have obtained some human rights. I think that the topic is one that really, I think, connects so powerfully with our current moment, both [at] the local level, certainly at a national level, and even at the international level.
The history of human rights, generally, is one that tends to be male-dominated. We tend to focus on European thinkers and philosophers. I’m not suggesting that we don’t pay attention to those narratives, but I was struck by the fact that much of what we know about human rights – in the historical context – leaves out Black women. We certainly know that someone like Ida B. Wells certainly traveled across the globe to talk about lynching, and I thought it was important to situate her as a human rights activist, which she certainly was.
And so this is the story that brings to the forefront individuals who have been overlooked in the history, and also to push back against what I think can best be described as high politics, which means that the way we think about human rights tends to be from the top down. So big organizations like the United Nations, for example, or Amnesty International, (are) all very important. But what this book does is show us that the struggle for human rights actually often happened from the ground up. And it was people working within their communities; people devising a range of strategies and tactics. All of that is important in understanding how human rights ultimately, I think, move forward both in the national context and also in the global context.
On the role of the Declaration of Independence in the abolition of slavery in America
Blain: I see it as a very important moment, certainly, in the larger history of human rights, largely because… what I show in the book is that Black women understood that they were not often included in this vision. Certainly, they were aware of the contradictions, and part of what’s powerful is that they pointed out the contradictions. They decided that they weren’t going to be confined to what other people thought of them. So even as we talk about this notion of all men being created equal, Black women knew that most Americans certainly did not think about them, did not include them in this vision. So part of what they had to do was they had to make the case. So the book is about how they made that case. It is about, certainly, the political organizing, the strategizing, but it’s also the thinking.
I think what’s powerful about the book is that it’s an intellectual history. I spent a lot of time thinking through and explaining how these women crafted their arguments, and one of the things that they did was ultimately say, actually, we are humans too, and because of our humanity, we deserve respect and dignity, and even if you don’t necessarily include us in this vision, we need to be included in this vision and we’re not going to accept anything less.
On efforts by the Trump administration to roll back Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs
Blain: Well, I do think it’s, it’s part and parcel of a longer history. When I think about this current moment, it’s hard not to think about Woodrow Wilson for just one example of another president in U.S. history that ultimately did similar kinds of things in terms of trying to limit the kinds of topics that will be covered in the classroom. We certainly see that in the Wilson administration, efforts to limit how teachers integrate the voices and experiences of marginalized groups in the classroom setting, efforts to block people from having access to jobs and opportunities in an equal fashion. So what’s happening now isn’t new. It doesn’t make it feel any better, but it’s important to see the current developments as connected to a longer history, which reminds us that we’ve been dealing with these challenges for a long time and we have to keep resisting these efforts, too. That’s what’s also powerful about the book. You see how women are dealing with similar kinds of challenges in their lifetime and how they don’t just put up their hands and say, “We accept this.” How they come up with strategies to resist; that’s a powerful lesson.
On whether she thinks progress on human rights will continue in America
Blain: I do think so. I think it’s important to have and always uphold an optimistic point of view. Why? Because I think without optimism, it’s hard to do this kind of work. You can’t actually fight for human rights if you don’t believe it’s possible to attain them. We have to be mindful that even as we encounter challenges, even as we encounter setbacks, all of that is part of the process of securing rights and freedom. It’s not always going to be a bed of roses. There are times where you do experience pain and difficulty, and I think we’re experiencing that in this moment. But yes, I firmly believe that we are moving forward in increments, but nonetheless, we are moving forward as a nation.
