''Notable Black American Women'' is a three-volume series by Jessie Carney Smith profiling 1,100 Black American women. The first volume, with 500 profiles, was published in 1992, the second in 1994, and the third in 2003, all by
Gale
A gale is a strong wind; the word is typically used as a descriptor in nautical contexts. The U.S. National Weather Service defines a gale as sustained surface winds moving at a speed of between 34 and 47 knots (, or ).Jessie Carney Smith was a professor at Fisk University who also worked as a librarian. For twenty years she researched
Black women
Black women are women of sub-Saharan African and Afro-diasporic descent, as well as women of Australian Aboriginal and Melanesian descent. The term 'Black' is a racial classification of people, the definition of which has shifted over time and a ...
as she worked, recording information she came across. She developed this information into a list of 1,000 women and over the course of two years built the first volume, with more than two hundred people helping. Smith later said that she woke up between 4:00 and 4:30 in the morning every day, worked until 6:00 before leaving for work, where she continued to research. The first volume of ''Notable Black American Women'' was completed in December 1991 and published by
Gale
A gale is a strong wind; the word is typically used as a descriptor in nautical contexts. The U.S. National Weather Service defines a gale as sustained surface winds moving at a speed of between 34 and 47 knots (, or ).Visible Ink Press
Visible Ink Press, LLC is a publisher of popular reference works. Its headquarters are in Canton Charter Township, Michigan in Metro Detroit. It was founded in 1989 as an imprint of Gale and later spun-off as an independent company in 2000. The H ...
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The second volume was actually published in 1994. Volume three was published in 2003, bringing the total of women profiled to 1,100. The third book included an index divided geographically and by occupation and subject covering all three volumes.Phyllis, H. W. 2006, "NOTABLE BLACK AMERICAN WOMEN, Book III: a Quarterly of Women's Studies Resources", ''Feminist Collections,'' vol. 27, no. 2, pp. 26.
Reception
A reviewer of the first volume considered the profiles "extensive" and "well written" and concluded that it was "an outstanding volume". A review of the third volume called the series "excellent".
Volume 3 Volume Three, Volume 3 or Volume III may refer to:
Music Albums
* ''Volume 3'' (She & Him album), 2013
* '' Vol. 3... Life and Times of S. Carter'', a 1999 album by Jay-Z
* '' Volume 3: A Child's Guide to Good and Evil'', a 1968 album by The West ...