Sweet Potato Queens

The Sweet Potato Queens is a women's organization based in Jackson, Mississippi, that has over 6000^[1] chapters in over 20 countries.

Organization

The Sweet Potato Queens concept has been explained and made popular by a series of books by Jill Conner Browne, born in Tupelo and raised in Jackson, who came up with the idea in 1982. ^[2] (Browne is the author of a number of books which form the backbone of the Sweet Potato Queen "movement.") It involves a belief in a sisterhood that promotes self-esteem and positive thinking, appealing to mostly middle-aged middle-class women. As John Ray, the ordering manager at Politics and Prose in Washington once said of the Sweet Potato Queen books, "they began to empower women."^[3] In 2005, almost ten thousand women dressed up in costumes and came to Jackson for the annual Hal and Mal's St. Patrick’s Day parade, proceeds from which benefited a local children’s hospital.

Each local chapter assumes its own theme and designs its own costumes. Some of the chapters participate in parades and fund-raisers in their local communities.

Sweet Potato Queen Books

(all by Jill Conner Browne)

• Sweet Potato Queens' Book of Love (Jan 19, 1999)
• God Save the Sweet Potato Queens (Jan 9, 2001)
• The Sweet Potato Queens' Big-Ass Cookbook and Financial Planner (Jan 7, 2003)
• Sweet Potato Queens' Field Guide to Men: Every Man I Love Is Either Married, Gay, or Dead (Oct 5, 2004)
• The Sweet Potato Queens' Wedding Planner/Divorce Guide (Dec 27, 2005)
• The Sweet Potato Queens' First Big-Ass Novel: Stuff We Didn't Actually Do, but Could Have, and May Yet (Jan 2, 2007)
• The Sweet Potato Queens' Guide to Raising Children for Fun and Profit (Jan 1, 2008)
• American Thighs: The Sweet Potato Queens' Guide to Preserving Your Assets (Dec 30, 2008)
• Fat is the New 30: The Sweet Potato Queens' Guide to Coping with (the crappy parts of) Life (March 20, 2012)

References

External links

• Sweet Potato Queens Official Website
• Tour Fit For A Sweet Potato Queen