Democracy, Race, and Justice

The first book to bring together the key writings and speeches of civil rights activist Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander – the first Black American economist.

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The first book to bring together the key writings and speeches of civil rights activist Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander—the first Black American economist

“Sadie Alexander embodies the Black feminist saying, 'the political is personal.' Her speeches brilliantly intertwine economics and law and will empower the next generation scholars-activists fighting for social justice.”—Rhonda Vonshay Sharpe, President, Women's Institute for Science, Equity and Race

In 1921, Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander became the first Black American to gain a Ph.D. degree in economics. Unable to find employment as an economist because of discrimination, Alexander became a lawyer so that she could press for equal rights for African Americans. Although her historical significance has been relatively ignored, Alexander was a pioneering civil rights activist who used both the law and economic analysis to challenge racial inequities and deprivations.
 
This volume—a recovery of Sadie Alexander’s economic thought—provides a comprehensive account of her thought-provoking speeches and writings on the relationship between democracy, race, and justice. Nina Banks’s introductions bring fresh insight into the events and ideologies that underpinned Alexander’s outlook and activism. A brilliant intellectual, Alexander called for bold, redistributive policies that would ensure racial justice for Black Americans while also providing a foundation to safeguard democracy.