Darlene Clark Hine (born February 7, 1947) is an American author and professor in the field of African-American history.
From 1985 to 2004, Hine served as the John A. Hannah Professor of History at Michigan State University in East Lansing.
She defined dissemblance as "the behavior and attitudes of Black women that created the appearance of openness and disclosure but actually shielded the truth of their inner lives and selves from their oppressors.
"[6] The concept helped Hine identify why "African-American women developed a code of silence around intimate matters as a response to discursive and literal attacks on black sexuality.
[9] In the original article, Hine states that the most "institutionalized forms" of the culture of dissemblance exist in the creation of the National Association of Colored Women's Clubs in 1896.
[19] Hine was presented in 2013 with a National Humanities Medal by President Barack Obama, for her work on understanding the African-American experience.