National Humanities Center, “African American Marriage in the Twentieth Century: A Conversation,” with Andrea Williams

For centuries marital status has been an important social marker, providing access to a variety of legal rights, and contributing to a sense of social stability. Further, since marriage has been seen as fundamental to preserving social and familial norms, it has been considered a central element for ensuring socio-economic success and social respectability among African Americans and others. In this scholarly conversation, two of this year’s Fellows will discuss the fraught history of marriage and marital rights for African Americans as well as the ways cultural expectations about marriage have shaped the lives of African American women over the past century.