Sweet Potato Queens
Encyclopedia
The Sweet Potato Queens is a women's organization based in Jackson, Mississippi
, that has over 6000 chapters in over 20 countries.
and raised in Jackson, who came up with the idea in 1982. (Browne is the author of a number of books which form the backbone of the Sweet Potato Queen "movement.") It involves a belief in a sisterhood
that promotes self esteem and positive thinking, appealing to mostly middle-aged middle-class women. As John Ray, the ordering manager at Politics and Prose in Washington once said of the Sweet Potato Queen books, "they began to empower women." In 2005, almost ten thousand women dressed up in costumes and came to Jackson for the annual Hal and Mal's St. Patrick’s Day parade, proceeds from which benefited a local children’s hospital.
Each local chapter assumes its own theme and designs its own costumes. Some of the chapters participate in parades and fund-raisers in their local communities.
Jackson, Mississippi
Jackson is the capital and the most populous city of the US state of Mississippi. It is one of two county seats of Hinds County ,. The population of the city declined from 184,256 at the 2000 census to 173,514 at the 2010 census...
, that has over 6000 chapters in over 20 countries.
Organization
The Sweet Potato Queens concept has been explained and made popular by a series of books by Jill Conner Browne, born in TupeloTupelo, Mississippi
Tupelo is the largest city in and the county seat of Lee County, Mississippi, United States. It is the seventh largest city in the state of Mississippi, smaller than Meridian, and larger than Greenville. As of the 2000 United States Census, the city's population was 34,211...
and raised in Jackson, who came up with the idea in 1982. (Browne is the author of a number of books which form the backbone of the Sweet Potato Queen "movement.") It involves a belief in a sisterhood
Sisterhood
Sisterhood may refer to:* Sibling, sisters and brothers* Sorority, a social organization for undergraduate students* Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, a novel by Rebecca Wells* The Sisterhood, a short-lived English goth band...
that promotes self esteem and positive thinking, appealing to mostly middle-aged middle-class women. As John Ray, the ordering manager at Politics and Prose in Washington once said of the Sweet Potato Queen books, "they began to empower women." In 2005, almost ten thousand women dressed up in costumes and came to Jackson for the annual Hal and Mal's St. Patrick’s Day parade, proceeds from which benefited a local children’s hospital.
Each local chapter assumes its own theme and designs its own costumes. Some of the chapters participate in parades and fund-raisers in their local communities.
Sweet Potato Queen Books
(all by Jill Conner Browne)- Sweet Potato Queens' Book of Love (Jan 19, 1999)
- God Save the Sweet Potato Queens (Jan 9, 2001)
- The Sweet Potato Queens' Big-Ass Cookbook and Financial Planner (Jan 7, 2003)
- Sweet Potato Queens' Field Guide to Men: Every Man I Love Is Either Married, Gay, or Dead (Oct 5, 2004)
- The Sweet Potato Queens' Wedding Planner/Divorce Guide (Dec 27, 2005)
- The Sweet Potato Queens' First Big-Ass Novel: Stuff We Didn't Actually Do, but Could Have, and May Yet (Jan 2, 2007)
- The Sweet Potato Queens' Guide to Raising Children for Fun and Profit (Jan 1, 2008)
- American Thighs: The Sweet Potato Queen's Guide to Preserving Your Assets (Dec 30, 2008)