African American Familial Relationships: An Undiscovered History of African American Women in Kansas Beginning in 1930

Abstract

Rymonda Davis studies the historic familial roles in African American families. Based on a series of interviews with elderly black residents primarily in Riley County, she shows that the role of female authority figures – grandmothers -- was conceived differently than modern interpretations of black female leadership imply. The author explores the concept of what it meant to be "strong." Using stories and oral history, she profiles black families in the 1930s, as remembered by living respondents.