In this impressively thorough book, historian Martha Jones covers the role Black women have played and continue to play in the pursuit of equality for all people. Covering American history from the 1700s to present, this book brings to light the oft-overlooked (and often actively silenced) women behind anti-slavery, suffrage, and human rights efforts over the decades. 

On the whole a commanding recounting of history, Vanguard makes space to tell the stories of a large number of activist women and their individual contributions to a collective commitment to human flourishing. A couple themes were particularly intriguing to me: 
• Lots of Black women who fought for equality, especially in the late 1800s/early 1900s, started their advocacy in churches, speaking up for gender equality within spiritual leadership. They often won these fights (even if it took decades) and it laid the groundwork for additional activism. 
• Quite a few women profiled took it upon themselves to make their own records, either by having portraits painted or by writing their autobiographies. Without these stories, much of these Black women’s work would have been lost to history. That forethought impressed me! 

I found the stories and histories powerful, both of their own accord and as a corrective counterbalance to white-centric, male-dominated history that we are largely steeped in through traditional schooling. That said, the book can be quite dense at points and a bit hard to follow with the sheer volume of names to track. Pick it up with a fairly academic expectation.