Sweet Potato Queens
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The Sweet Potato Queens [1], based in Jackson, Mississippi, is a women's organization with chapters throughout the United States.
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. (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. In 2005, almost ten thousand women dressed up in costumes and came to Jackson for the annual 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)
