She added a female voice to a field that was dominated by white males , and her strong personality transgressed stereotypes of what an African - American woman should be .
Scholars such as Maureen Mahon have praised Thornton for subverting traditional roles of African - American women .
Maureen Mahon added a female voice to a field that was dominated by white males , and Maureen Mahon 's strong personality transgressed stereotypes of what African - American     American woman should be .
Scholars such as Maureen Mahon have praised Thornton for subverting traditional roles of African - American women .