Black Women: Central to American Democracy

Marcia Chatelain and Atima Omara are writing into record the untold stories of remarkable Black women whose contributions have been central to the development—and preservation—of American democracy. In How Bright the Path Grows: The Untold Story of the Women Who Made the March on Washington, Pulitzer Prize winner Chatelain weaves a gleaming group portrait of the Black women who helped organize the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. This engaging and compelling history centers the efforts of women Civil Rights organizers pushed to the margins. In The Instigators: How Black Women Have Been Essential to American Democracy (And What We Can Learn from Them), Omara shines a light on the critical and vital—yet often disregarded and discounted—work of Black women to advance a just and equitable country. Part history, part call to action, the book underscores Black women’s central role in the ongoing fight to build an inclusive democracy in the United States. These two powerhouse writers will discuss historical omissions and overlooked figures, and reframe how we think about democracy today. 

Purchase your book from Charis Books & More. When you check-out from that link, please mention that you will need to pick your book up at the event. Books will also be for sale on-site by Charis, and a portion of your purchase will benefit the Decatur Book Festival.

This event is free and open to the public. No tickets are required, and seating is first come, first served. Signing information: Signing time: 4:15 PM

Signing location: Marriott Conference Center

About the Authors

Marcia Chatelain is a professor of Africana Studies at the University of Pennsylvania. She is the author of South Side Girls and Franchise, the latter of which won the 2021 Pulitzer Prize in History, the James Beard Foundation Book Award, the Hagley Prize for Business History, and the Lawrence W. Levine Award from the Organization of American Historians. An active public speaker and educational consultant, Chatelain has received awards and honors from the Ford Foundation, the American Association of University Women, and the German Marshall Fund of the United States. Her new book is How Bright the Path Grows: The Untold Story of the Women Who Made the March on Washington.

Atima Omara is a nationally recognized, award-winning political strategist, leader, writer, speaker, and advocate. She is the founder and principal strategist for Omara Strategy Group—an award-winning progressive political and advocacy consulting firm. Previously, she has worked for a governor, members of Congress, and various Democratic candidates at federal, state, and local levels across the country, as well as on issue campaigns for various progressive causes, including reproductive rights and justice, disability rights and justice, labor, and criminal justice reform. A former candidate for public office and nonprofit executive, Atima has also been elected to serve in multiple Democratic Party leadership roles at the national, state, and local levels, including president of the Young Democrats of America, the first Black person and fifth woman to do so; statewide-elected Virginia member of the Democratic National Committee from 2016 to 2024; and vice chair of the DNC Women's Caucus, 2017–2024. Atima is a sought-after commentator and speaker on national politics, candidates, policy, race, gender, and culture. She has been quoted in national outlets, including The New York Times, The Boston Globe, and The Atlantic; written for The Washington Post, The American Prospect, The Nation, The Root, Teen Vogue, and other national outlets; and appeared on CNN, PBS, Fox News, BBC, CBC, NPR, and MSNBC. The Instigators: How Black Women Are Essential to Democracy (and What We Can Learn from Them) is her first book.

About the Moderator

Andra Gillespie is associate professor of political science and director of the James Weldon Johnson Institute for the Study of Race and Difference at Emory University. Gillespie teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in American and African American politics, African American political leadership, political participation, qualitative methods, and race and elections. Before joining the faculty at Emory, she worked as an analyst for Democratic pollster Mark Mellman.

Her research focuses on the political leadership of the post-civil rights generation. She edited and contributed to Whose Black Politics? Cases in Post-Racial Black Leadership, which features case studies of prominent black elected officials born after 1960 to shed light on the advent of a new generation of black political leadership. She is also the author of The New Black Politician: Cory Booker, Newark and Post-Racial America, which examines the evolution of black politics in Newark, New Jersey to gain a deeper understanding of the connection between racial solidarity, vote choice and policy preferences. More recently, she published Race and the Obama Administration: Substance, Symbols and Hope, which examines the representation of African American interests in the Obama Administration.

She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Government & Foreign Affairs and African American Studies from the University of Virginia, and her Ph.D. in Political Science from Yale University.