K. Johnson
Objet de la Bu : Des vies de combat

University Library Object

More than sixty portraits of Black women who fought for their freedom, their voices, and their place in history.

In “Des vies de combat : femmes, noires et libres” Audrey Célestine invites us to retrace stories often invisible, revealing how silence around these lives ties into the logic of the Matilda Effect..

Book Overview

Published in 2020 by L’Iconoclaste, Célestine’s book gathers over sixty portraits of Black women- from the end of slavery to modern activism.

The author, a political scientist and lecturer, aims to “restore flesh and substance to these lives of struggle.”

Organized into four themes : Vivre libres”, “Clamer « Black is Beautiful »”, “Donner de la voix”, “Assignées… no more !”, the book spans geographies (Caribbean, US, France) and areas of activism: politics, culture, science.

Photographie d'Audrey Celestine, autrice du livre

Audrey Célestine - autrice de “Des vies de combat : femmes, noires et libres”

How This Book Relates to “Matilda”

Célestine’s work closely aligns with the Matilda Effect.

By bringing “free” Black women into view, it spotlights hidden contributors to history—just as the Matilda Effect reveals the historical erasure of women scientists.

Among these portraits are women active in science, education, technology, and social innovation—they embody “Matildas”: women whose talents have often gone unrecognized. Katherine Johnson is among those featured in this book !

Book Excerpts

« This book isn’t a ‘history of Black women,’ nor a ‘history of the Black woman.’ It walks a delicate ridgeline, seeking to show what race, paired with other forms of domination, does to the lives of women identified as Black - exploring the twists and turns of their lives, their successes and failures. Their struggles.»

« Take this book as an introduction, an invitation to dig into the lives of these women—and the thousands of others who could have filled its pages. »

- From the book’s Afterword

«[...] thanks to a Hollywood production: Hidden Figures (2016), nominated for multiple Oscars. Katherine Johnson receives a standing ovation on stage, though months earlier, few knew her name.

Her story is one of those that, in the United States, become inspirational books for young readers. Telling Black nerdy girls that they can put machines into space, too.”

- From the chapter on K. Johnson

In Conclusion

This book serves as a valuable complement: it shows that this historical amnesia affects much more than “pure” science - it also shapes the stories of free Black women.

“Des vies de combat” is more than a book; it's a historical spotlight, a call to see and name the women who were left out of dominant narratives. It restores the voices of free Black women.