Invisible Activists examines the civil rights activity of black women in the early part of the twentieth century. The focus of Lee Sartain's concise and richly researched book is the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in Louisiana. Its central argument is that women were largely responsible for sustaining association branches throughout the state during its first three decades, from 1915 to 1945. They were due-paying members, organizers, fund-raisers and leaders in both name and action. Since the 1990s increasing scholarly attention has been paid to the role of women in the civil rights movement. Sartain adds to this scholarship by exploring the myriad ways women contributed to the development of America's oldest civil rights organization at a local level. His study also strengthens our understanding of the pre-1945 civil rights movement and confirms Adam Fairclough's analysis of the importance of female activists in Louisiana.
Women took on a range of roles in the Louisiana branches. A number were branch secretaries, a largely administrative but nevertheless important post. Many were instrumental in membership drives and fund-raising and others were crucial to voter registration campaigns. The work these women did was usually determined by expectations based on gender. These roles were often bureaucratic and women were frequently responsible for typing, organizing social events, raising money or public relations. Their work was focussed on the family, youth and welfare. Sartain acknowledges the role of gender stereotypes but he does not see this as creating an automatically negative experience for the women. Indeed, he argues that many were able to turn these expectations to their own advantage and were able to carve out an influential position for themselves. They were usually involved in the day-to-day running of the branch, which meant they oversaw a wide range of activities. As secretaries they were often the point of contact with the national office and were responsible for annual reports and for supervising budgets. Furthermore, this work was crucial to the survival of the association in the state, particularly during difficult periods such as the Depression.
The great strength of this book is its willingness and capacity to tell individual stories. Some fascinating characters emerge, including Miss Georgia Johnson of Alexandria, to whom Sartain dedicates one of his six chapters. Johnson was chair of the NAACP's legal redress and legislation committee, a position seldom held by women. She challenged assumptions of gender, clashed with the branch's conservative male leadership and antagonized the local white authorities. In contrast, Mrs. D. J. Dupy, secretary of the Baton Rouge branch, worked successfully within traditional female roles to make herself indispensable. Sartain's research confirms the assertion of scholars such as Charles Payne that women were involved in the more mundane, day-to-day activities that have frequently been overlooked. However, he also demonstrates that some women, such as Johnson, forged more high-profile positions for themselves within both the organization and the community at large. Whilst they shared a number of characteristics – they were usually middle class, from professional backgrounds and often teachers – it is difficult to make generalizations about the women of the Louisiana NAACP. Instead, Sartain has rediscovered these women as individuals and made them visible once more.
