Overview

Lucy Diggs Slowe (1885–1937) was one of the most remarkable and accomplished figures in the history of Black women's higher education. She was a builder of institutions, organizing the first historically Black sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha, while a student at Howard University in 1908; establishing the first junior high school for Black students in Washington, D.C.; and founding as well as leading other major national and community organizations. In 1922 Slowe was appointed the first Dean of Women at Howard, making her the first Black woman to serve as dean at any American university. Beyond her trailblazing career in higher education, she was a committed teacher, an ardent antiracist advocate, and even a national tennis champion. Her Truth and Service showcases Slowe's speeches, articles, and letters, illuminating her multifaceted accomplishments and unwavering dedication to the quest for equality and justice. In these texts, readers encounter Slowe's powerful voice and keen intellect, witnessing her triumphs and travails as an educator, a leader, and a Black woman in a deeply exclusionary society. Slowe's writings depict her personal and professional efforts to topple race and gender barriers and open up greater opportunities for Black women and girls, as well as the obstacles she faced in male-dominated institutions including the Howard administration. Her Truth and Service is an important document of a significant figure in the development of Black institutions and an inspiring testament to the lifelong struggle for social justice.

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Drawing on a rich archive of letters, Dr. Amy Yeboah Quarkume brings needed attention to a pioneer in Black women’s higher education, Dean Lucy Diggs Slowe. Her Truth and Service provides insight into Slowe's person and importantly introduces a new generation of scholars to Slowe’s defiant insistence that Black women matter and deserve educational spaces where they can experience personal growth, alliance-building, and joy. -- Tamara Beauboeuf-Lafontant, Grinnell College, author of <i>To Live More Abundantly: Black Collegiate Women, Howard University, and the Audacity of Dean Lucy Diggs Slowe</i>

Drawing on a rich archive of letters, Amy Yeboah Quarkume brings needed attention to a pioneer in Black women’s higher education, Dean Lucy Diggs Slowe. Her Truth and Service provides insight into Slowe's person and importantly introduces a new generation of scholars to Slowe’s defiant insistence that Black women matter and deserve educational spaces where they can experience personal growth, alliance building, and joy. -- Tamara Beauboeuf-Lafontant, Grinnell College, author of <i>To Live More Abundantly: Black Collegiate Women, Howard University, and the Audacity of Dean Lucy Diggs Slowe</i>

Author Information

Amy Yeboah Quarkume is associate professor of Africana studies in the Department of Afro-American Studies and the director of student engagement at the Center for Women, Gender, and Global Leadership at Howard University. She is an editor of the Black Lives in the Diaspora: Past / Present / Future series.

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