A Nation Can Rise No Higher Than Its Women: African American Muslim Women in the Movement for Black Self-Determination, 1950-1975

A Nation Can Rise No Higher Than Its Women: African American Muslim Women in the Movement for Black Self-Determination, 1950-1975, by Bayyinah S. Jefferies. Latham, MD: Lexington Books, 2014, 173 pp., $85.00, hardback.

With a desire to fill an extensive gap in the scholarly literature, Dr. Bayyinah Jefferies' A Nation Can Rise No Higher Than Its Women attempts to address the contribution of Nation of Islam (NOI) women to the Civil Rights and Black Power movements of the mid-20th century. Often ignored in works addressing these particular movements is the militancy, influence, and relevance of the NOI to the larger fight for civil rights and Black empowerment. Explored even less is the work of Nation of Islam women and their effect on the creation of the ideals of self-determination and community advancement during this time. In the book, Jefferies endeavors to conduct a comprehensive analysis of these activities and the results they produced.

From the beginning, the author discusses the NOI's views and practices surrounding the education of their followers and children. Thoroughly explained is the integral role women played in the establishment of the Muhammad University of Islam, the NOI's official educational institution for students in grades Pre-K through 12. NOI women served as teachers and principals in these schools, as well as the leading educators in their homes and of the Muslim Girls Training and General Civilization Classes (M....