. >> still ahead -- the untold stories of extraordinary women at the abyssinian baptist church >> march is national women's history month, a time to pay tribute to generations of women committed to excellence. the book "church ladies: untold stories of harlem women in the powell era" does just that. history of the abyssinian baptist church during the heyday of the fight for civil rights -- it does so through the eyes of the women in that struggle. here today is dr. martia goodson, who is the author of this new book, and longtime abyssinian church member grace l. jones. thank you both for being with us this afternoon. >> so, martia, i'm gonna ask you, what made you decide that this was a story that needed to be told in print? >> ah, that's a great question. i'm an oral historian. i interviewed a great number of women, and their stories were very compelling to me. but as i got deeper into the process of figuring out what to do with their interviews, it became apparent to me that these were not famous people. their deeds were unrecorded. their voices were silenced. and also, they offered a