From 1955 to 1975, Vera Pigee (1924-2007) put her life and
livelihood on the line with grassroots efforts for social change in
Mississippi, principally through her years of leadership in Coahoma
County's NAACP. Known as the "Lady of Hats," coined by NAACP
executive secretary Roy Wilkins, Pigee was a businesswoman, mother,
and leader. Her book, The Struggle of Struggles, offers a detailed
view of the daily grind of organizing for years to open the state's
closed society. Fearless, forthright, and fashionable, Pigee also
suffered for her efforts at the hands of white supremacists and
those unwilling to accept strong women in leadership. She wrote
herself into the histories, confronted misinformation, and
self-published one of the first autobiographies from the era. Women
like her worked, often without accolade or recognition, in their
communities all over the country, but did not document their
efforts in this way. The Struggle of Struggles, originally
published in 1975, spotlights the gendered and generational
tensions within the civil rights movement. It outlines the
complexity, frustrations, and snubs, as well as the joy and
triumphs that Pigee experienced and witnessed in the quest for a
fairer and more equitable nation. This new edition begins with a
detailed introductory essay by historian Francoise N. Hamlin, who
interviewed Pigee and her daughter in the few years preceding their
passing, as well as their coworkers and current activists. In
addition to the insightful Introduction, Hamlin has also provided
annotations to the original text for clarity and explanation, along
with a timeline to guide a new generation of readers.
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