Three courageous women realize it will take their hearts, their minds, their friendship, and their education to make a mark on the world in the fight for equality.

Oberlin College, 1884. Mary Church Terrell, Anna J. Cooper, and Ida Gibbs are used to standing out in a crowd. They’re well known for their vocal stances on civil rights and women’s suffrage. In fact, the Black women learned to debate at Oberlin College as they challenged the very belief systems that built the school, initially by becoming the first women to register for the men’s four-year bachelor’s degree, and later by demanding that they be recognized as American citizens with equal rights despite the color of their skin.

But before they met one another, their worlds were completely unalike. Wealth and prominence allowed Mary endless privileges, while poverty pressured Anna into servitude. It isn’t until the women meet and forge a lifelong bond that they realize the power of their differences.

At Oberlin, the friends face classism, sexism, and racism, but they are determined to blossom and let the world see them for who they are . . . beyond all the labels.

From USA TODAY bestselling author Vanessa Miller comes her next highly anticipated novel about strong Black women in pivotal moments in history.