A Voice from the South was written by Anna J. Cooper in 1892. Anna Cooper was one of the most prominent African American women scholars of her era. She was a sociologist, educator, an activist, and an author. Anna Cooper was born in Raleigh, North Carolina in 1858. Her family was enslaved by George Haywood, a son of John Haywood who was a state treasurer. As an adult, she worked as a tutor and taught classics, modern history, English, and music. She earned a Bachelor’s Degree and a Master’s Degree both from Oberlin College. At the young age of 65, she earned a PhD from the University of Paris-Sorbonne in 1924.
A Voice from the South was published while she worked as a principal at M Street High School in Washington, D.C. In the book, she speaks of how black women are voiceless in America. Additionally, how womanhood and motherhood are vital elements in the regeneration and progress of race and people. Cooper mentions how Europe is the bud and America is the flower of modern civilization. She details the importance of women in a civilized world. She places high regard on Christianity, religion, and its effects on a civilized world. In contrast, she critiques Negroes in that they “are dazzled by the shimmer and tinsel of superficial.” A few pages later, she recognizes that the personality of black men is not calculated or respected. She also concede that black men are employed as machines and not for his ideals.
A Voice from the South is the only book published by Anna J. Cooper. Honestly, it is a tough read for the general public. Like many writings from the 1800s, the style of writing is wordier and less direct. Also, the sentencing in this book tends to flow longer. A Voice is less than 100 pages, yet it reads much longer. Deciphering the words and sentencing is an ardent task. In this book, Anna Cooper conveys how the Church along with black women, are both vital to the advancement of the black race. She believes the Church struggles to recruit African-Americans primarily because it neglects the education of African-American women.
Thus, some spots of her book read as a plea for white Christians to accept blacks into their fold. Specifically, black women. Cooper argues that segregation has an adverse effect on American intellectual and artistic life. She forgets that white Christians were slaveholders and used the bible to justify bondage and extract obedience and compliance from their slaves.