Paula Giddings
Encyclopedia
Paula Giddings is a writer
and an African-American historian
. She is the author of When and Where I Enter: The Impact of Black Women on Race and Sex in America and In Search of Sisterhood. She is a professor of African-American Studies at Smith College
and has previously taught at Spelman College, where she was a United Negro Fund Distinguished Scholar and Douglass College at Rutgers University
where she held the Laurie Chair in Women's Studies. Giddings has also taught at Princeton University
, North Carolina Central University
and Duke University
. She is also a member of Delta Sigma Theta
sorority.
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
and an African-American historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
. She is the author of When and Where I Enter: The Impact of Black Women on Race and Sex in America and In Search of Sisterhood. She is a professor of African-American Studies at Smith College
Smith College
Smith College is a private, independent women's liberal arts college located in Northampton, Massachusetts. It is the largest member of the Seven Sisters...
and has previously taught at Spelman College, where she was a United Negro Fund Distinguished Scholar and Douglass College at Rutgers University
Rutgers University
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey , is the largest institution for higher education in New Jersey, United States. It was originally chartered as Queen's College in 1766. It is the eighth-oldest college in the United States and one of the nine Colonial colleges founded before the American...
where she held the Laurie Chair in Women's Studies. Giddings has also taught at Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
, North Carolina Central University
North Carolina Central University
North Carolina Central University is a public historically black university in the University of North Carolina system, located in Durham, North Carolina, offering programs at the baccalaureate, master’s, professional and doctoral levels....
and Duke University
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
. She is also a member of Delta Sigma Theta
Delta Sigma Theta
Delta Sigma Theta is a non-profit Greek-lettered sorority of college-educated women who perform public service and place emphasis on the African American community. Delta Sigma Theta Sorority was founded on January 13, 1913 by twenty-two collegiate women at Howard University...
sorority.
Early life
Giddings grew up in an integrated neighborhood of Yonkers, New York, where she suffered from day-to-day discrimination. Later, she participated to Freedom rides where she first experienced political commitment. In 1975, she travelled to South Africa where she had the opportunity to meet leaders of the Anti-apartheid movement.Main publications
- Ida, A Sword Among Lions: Ida B. Wells and the Campaign Against Lynching (Amistad/Harper Collins, 2008)
- Burning All Illusions: Writings from The Nation on Race 1866-2002 (Editor) (Thunder’s Mouth Press, 2002)
- In Search of Sisterhood: Delta Sigma Theta and the Challenge of the Black Sorority Movement (William Morrow Publishers, 1988; Quill Publishers 1995)
- When and Where I Enter: The Impact of Black Women on Race and Sex in America (William Morrow Publishers, 1984; Bantam Publishers, 1985)