"In the late 1820s, Sarah and Angelina Grimke traded their elite position as daughters of a prominent slaveholding family in Charleston, South Carolina, for a life dedicated to abolitionism and advocacy of women's rights in the north. The sisters became leaders in the anti-slavery movement, and their actions have had lasting repercussions for the way Americans strive for equality and social justice, even today.".

"In 1868, Angelina and Sarah discovered that their now deceased brother had had children with one of his slaves. True to their ideals, the Grimke sisters invited their nephews into their lives helped educate them, and gave them the means to start a new life in postbellum America. Archibald and Francis continued the fight for equality, becoming two of the most noted African Americans of their time.

Francis, an influential Presbyterian minister, and Archibald, a lawyer, diplomat, writer, and editor, were deeply involved in the burgeoning civil rights movement and the founding of the NAACP. Archibald's daughter, Angelina Weld Grimke, would become a seminal Harlem Renaissance poet and playwright.".

"At once a social history and a family biography, Lift Up Thy Voice illustrates how the question of race dominates American history - and the quintessentially American dedication to progressive ideals and social action. Spanning 150 years, this is an inspiring tale of a remarkable family that transformed itself and America."--BOOK JACKET.