This new study examines attitudes toward gender, class, and citizenship of African American activists in Louisiana and women's roles in the campaign for civil rights in the state. Sartain argues that it was women acting behind the scenes in Louisiana's branches of the NAACP who were the most crucial factor in the organization's efficiency and survival. Women worked as grass-roots organizers, ran public relations campaigns and membership drives, mobilized youth groups, and promoted community involvement. Sartain demonstrates how women combined their fund-raising skills with an extensive network of community and family ties to fund the NAACP and undertake the day-to-day operations of the local organizations themselves.