Having Our Say Themes

Sadie and Bessie Delany are experts in the subject of old age—you would be too if you lived to be over one hundred years old! These two sisters experience a lot of personal and societal upheavals...

As the daughters of a former slave turned bishop, Sadie and Bessie know a thing or two about the way race works in America. They lived through Jim Crow and the Civil Rights Movement, along with the...

The Delanys are one principled family. Led by the one-and-only Henry Delany and his fiery wife Nanny, the Delanys strive to be the best Christians, Americans, and citizens they can be—even if whi...

Although Sadie and Bessie are too classy to show it, they've gone through their fair share of hard times. In Having Our Say, we're given a glimpse into the harsh realities of poverty in America and...

Yes, yes, we know that you hate school—we wish you'd stop complaining about it so much. You know, there are tons of people out there who would kill for the educational opportunities you take for...

Do you realize that women weren't able to vote until 1920? That means that until that point, men were literally deciding everything. Well, Sadie and Bessie Delany remember that day quite well becau...

Believe us (and Sly Stone) when we tell you that Having Our Say is a family affair. Although the memoir is told through the eyes of sisters Sadie and Bessie, the book follows the multi-generational...

There's racism and then there's institutionalized racism. Here's the difference: regular old racism is like your brother saying that he could beat you at Monopoly any day, while institutionalized r...