This is a collection of biographies of many women, including gospel singers, black nuns, preachers, missionaries and civil-rights workers. These biographies look at the history and experiences of African American women, in relation to their spirituality and activities in organized religion. Main topics include the bias against women by the male leadership of the Black Church, the racism and sexism of mainstream religions, the relationship between spirituality and activism, and the outside-of-church ways in which women are involved in religion. The book ranges from the period of slavery to the present day, and profiles figures such as Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman, Willie Mae Ford Smith and Ella Baker, exploring the role that religious institutions, artistic forms and impulses played in their lives.