This book asserts that the history of segregation within American women’s associations created a legacy of racial exclusivity and privilege. While acknowledging the progressive potential of women’s associations and the extent to which they created a legitimate outlet for American women’s public activism, it explores why such organizations failed to aid in issues of integration. This book demonstrates that white exclusivity and privilege was crucial to the authority and influence of these associations. The book examines the translation of what seemed on the surface to be relatively simple demands for racial integration into a far more significant confrontation with the frequently hidden structures and practices of white privilege.