Named source · 1892

Iola Leroy; Or, Shadows Uplifted Quotes by Frances Ellen Watkins Harper: Context & Meanings

1 quotation linked to Iola Leroy; Or, Shadows Uplifted by or associated with Frances Ellen Watkins Harper, with source notes, explanations and related topics.

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I must serve the race which needs me most.

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“I must serve the race which needs me most.”

Frances Ellen Watkins Harper

Voice: Fictional character · Iola Leroy

Meaning & context

Iola turns identity into a practical commitment: she decides that her education and abilities should be used where she believes her work is most needed.

Source details

Iola Leroy; Or, Shadows Uplifted, represented by Project Gutenberg #12352. Iola says this while declining Dr. Gresham’s marriage proposal and explaining her commitment to serve the Black community after emancipation. It is fictional character speech embedded in Harper’s Reconstruction-era racial and social argument.

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