The Diarists

Black women diarists wrote as mothers, wives, and daughters; domestic laborers, dressmakers, and bookkeepers; students, teachers, and activists. They wrote in their homes in Mississippi, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, as well as on the road, traveling south to Georgia and west to Kansas. For their diaries, they used blank notebooks, pre-printed page-a-day diaries, and even a Physician’s Daily Memorandum book. Together, their diaries offer a vivid record of Black women’s diverse experiences in the post-emancipation United States and turn of the century.

Getting to Know Them

Select a diarist below to read their diary. You can also learn more about their lives with in-depth biographical resources and maps.