Podcast Summary:

Podcast: New Books Network
Episode: Keisha N. Blain, "Without Fear: Black Women and the Making of Human Rights" (W.W. Norton, 2025)
Host: Sullivan Sommer
Guest: Keisha N. Blaine, historian, author, social justice advocate
Date: September 14, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode centers around historian Keisha N. Blaine's new book, Without Fear: Black Women and the Making of Human Rights. In conversation with Sullivan Sommer, Blaine discusses the intellectual and activist legacy of Black women in human rights struggles, the significance of telling lesser-known women's stories, methodological approaches, and the urgency of these histories in today’s climate. The episode delves into themes of Black women’s leadership, their intellectual contributions, archival challenges, and the personal process of writing and titling such a book.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Genesis and Timeliness of the Book

• Origins of the Project

  • Blaine started forming ideas for the book around 2019 while working on other projects, especially a book on Fannie Lou Hamer.

    “When questions come up as I'm writing one book, there are times I realize that I can't simply answer some of the questions in that particular project.” —Keisha N. Blaine [03:36]

  • The events of 2020—including the global response to George Floyd’s killing—gave urgency to questions about Black women’s longstanding leadership in human rights.

    “It was a very explosive year in terms of political activism … the police killing of George Floyd really lit a fire ... One of the things that emerged … was a question about the role of black women's leadership.” —Blaine [04:45]

• Visibility vs. History

  • Blaine highlights how Black women’s leadership can seem new only because much has been hidden from public view.

    “If it seems new to you, it only seems so because a lot of what Black women have done … is often hidden from the public view.” —Blaine [05:46]

2. Activists, Intellectuals, and the Power of Ideas

• Expanding Definitions

  • A central thread of the book (and Blaine’s scholarship) is treating Black women not just as activists but as theorists and intellectuals who deeply shape movements and strategies.

    “When we move to this conversation about black women as intellectuals, it helps us really think through what it means … to think about a black woman as a theorist...” —Blaine [09:11]

• Evolution of Ideas

  • Blaine emphasizes the importance of “what happens between the moments”—the evolution and shifting of ideas, not only the visible acts.

    “The evolution of ideas … coincides powerfully with the larger social history about the work they're doing in the community.” —Blaine [11:04]

3. Unheralded Figures: Pearl Sharad & Margaret Cartwright

• Pearl Sharad

  • Working-class woman in 1930s Detroit, focused on Afro-Asian solidarity, used the Black press to advocate for broad human rights.

    “Pearl Sherman really fits that mold (of activist and intellectual). Her story is, I think, so meaningful because she's someone who … doesn't have the typical kind of profile as we would expect when we talk about black women intellectuals.” —Blaine [13:09]

  • Example of expanding the definition of intellectual to include working-class women whose influence was substantial though underrecognized.

• Margaret Cartwright

  • Professor and journalist who reported on international events for major Black newspapers and attended the Bandung and All-African People’s Conferences—one of the few Black American women doing so.

    “She was able to use her writing as a powerful tool to advocate for human rights and also to keep African Americans abreast of global developments.” —Blaine [16:00]

4. Audience & Approach

• Writing for Multiple Audiences
  • Blaine intentionally wrote the book for both academic and non-academic readers, aiming for accessibility while contributing to scholarship.

    “I wanted two groups of people to read this book. I certainly wanted academics to read the book. But I wanted to publish with a trade press because I was thinking a lot about … the ordinary reader.” —Blaine [21:19]

  • Inclusion of context, explanation, and footnotes designed for varying levels of familiarity with the field.

5. Methodology and Sources

• Archival Work and the Black Press
  • Heavy reliance on historical newspapers, census records, and archives. The black press was pivotal as both a historical source and subject of the book.
  • Shift in this volume to more oral histories, especially in the later chapters—most notably with Kadi Diallo (Amadou Diallo’s mother).

    “I knew very early that it was impossible to tell her story without actually talking to her … And even that process was a fascinating one, because … she would share things with me that later, she hesitated if I should include it or not.” —Blaine [25:46]

  • Challenges of accessing “voice,” especially for historical figures, and the thrill of finding direct writings or speeches.

6. The Black Press and Periodical Publishing

• Women’s Critical Role
  • Blaine names Josephine St. Pierre Ruffin, Paulette Nardal, and Esther Cooper Jackson among others as crucial Black women who launched and managed influential periodicals.
• Global Black Thought Journal
  • Blaine discusses the 2025 launch of the academic journal “Global Black Thought,” expanding the intellectual infrastructure for scholarship on Black thought worldwide.

    “Global Black Thought launched officially earlier this year, and the focus is on black ideas, black theories, black thinkers, intellectuals. It's a space for anyone who's doing any kind of work around black thought on a global scale...” —Blaine [32:32]

7. The Title: “Without Fear”

• Story Behind the Title

  • Originally intended to title the book A Global Struggle, Blaine was encouraged by her publisher to consider alternatives.

  • The eventual choice, Without Fear, was inspired by a 1944 exhortation from Mary McLeod Bethune to the National Council for Negro Women.

    “I think it ended up being what it should have been from the very beginning. … For me, it was about the message it sends in this particular moment. ... To say we are going to do the work that matters to us... without fear and hesitancy.” —Blaine [37:29]

  • The phrase’s relevance for the current political climate—anti-DEI, book banning—became a powerful rallying cry.

    “You can't move forward with fear leading the way. … Reflecting on that notion, ‘without fear’ is such a powerful mantra.” —Blaine [39:21]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Black Women’s Hidden Legacy

  “Black women were absolutely serving as leaders in various capacities, but they were not always visible.” —Keisha N. Blaine [05:54]

• On Intellectual History

  “It's not just that they're doing things … but that they are thinking carefully, critically about what they are doing—and they are strategizing. And there's something to be said about calling Black women intellectuals or calling them theorists.” —Blaine [09:29]

• On the Search for Voice

  “Being able to find the letter that [Aretha McKinley] wrote in the 1940s advocating for equal housing opportunities ... that was amazing … being able to quote her at length … now it was not just me ... telling you about these women, ... but you getting a chance ... to hear their voice.” —Blaine [28:33]

• On the Title’s Personal Journey

  “It fit … so perfectly for a number of reasons. But for me it was about the message it sends in this particular moment … we are going to do the work that matters to us. We're going to advocate strongly for human rights ... without fear and hesitancy.” —Blaine [37:29]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Genesis of the Book: [02:57]–[07:28]
• Activists vs. Intellectuals: [08:03]–[12:19]
• Profiles of Lesser-Known Women: [12:42]–[19:01]
• Audience and Accessibility: [20:49]–[24:09]
• Methodology and Sources: [24:31]–[29:25]
• Black Press & Global Black Thought: [29:25]–[35:27]
• Selection of the Title, “Without Fear”: [35:27]–[40:16]

Summary

This engaging conversation between Keisha N. Blaine and Sullivan Sommer highlights the urgent necessity and richness of Black women’s intellectual and activist histories, unearths lesser-known contributors, and reflects on the challenges and triumphs of scholarly work with a public impact. Blaine’s Without Fear is both a work of historical recovery and a guide for present and future action—aptly encapsulated in its title and in Blaine’s own concluding words:

“You can't move forward with fear leading the way.” [39:21]