William Pickens (1881–1954), the son of freed slaves, was an American orator, educator, journalist, and essayist who produced numerous publications during his lifetime. His academic and professional work centered on the African American experience throughout the nation’s history. Pickens was also an active and vocal member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Late in his life, he was the director of the interracial section of the Treasury Department’s Saving Bonds Division, where he worked to sell World War II bonds to a largely Black audience. His article “The Woman Voter Hits the Color Line” examines events in his home state of South Carolina after the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment.