SOURCE: Andrews, Larry R. “Black Sisterhood in Gloria Naylor's Novels.” CLA Journal XXXIII, no. 1 (September 1989): 1–25.

In the following essay, Andrews discusses the concept of black sisterhood, as portrayed in Naylor's early novels, and how it promotes “a sense of identity, purpose, and strength for survival.”

In the conclusion of her study of twelve novels by black women over the last four decades (No Crystal Stair: Visions of Race and Sex in Black Women's Fiction), Gloria Wade-Gayles, speaking about the female characters, says:

[E]ven when the women understand that they share a sisterhood of oppression, they often do not act on the belief that “sisterhood is powerful.” They do not come together to talk about their common history and their common reality. When they do attempt to communicate as women, they fail to sustain the sisterhood.¹

A number of writers have portrayed strong friendships between black women (e...