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e_flah's review
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
4.0
Florynce "Flo" Kennedy: The Life of a Black Feminist Radical was an interesting and incredibly informative read. Randolph focuses primarily on Kennedy's political and ideological views over the course of her life. The large -- yet often overlooked -- impact that Kennedy made on numerous organizations was well illustrated throughout the book. I would've loved a little more biographical information on Kennedy, even if it was separated from the main structure of the book, as not many of these details were provided. Overall, Florynce "Flo" Kennedy was a well-written read that I really enjoyed.
arisbookcorner's review against another edition
3.0
IQ "Although Kennedy wore the appropriate female attire during this trip, as she did for her courtroom performances, she rejected the idea that middle-class costumes would provide real protection for black or white civil rights workers. Like black people as a group, they were targets of violence no matter the uniform. Rather than an armor of neat dresses and white gloves or crips chinos and white shirts, Kennedy pointedly argued, 'it seems to me that what they need is a few bullet proof vests.'" (94)
I can't remember when/where (maybe from Gloria Steinem) I first learned about Florynce Kennedy but I immediately fell in love and knew I had to get my hands on as many books about her as possible. Unfortunately this is the only biography at the moment.
Quotes like the above demonstrate Kennedy's crackling wit but unfortunately these moments are few and far between. The book came across very dry which was so disappointing based on the hilarious anecdotes sprinkled throughout the book, it was clear she was larger than life but the book doesn't spend enough time conveying this. The book starts off strong, Kennedy's family is fascinating and you're clearly able to see how her family helped form her adult development, they are proud and determined. Their family motto is "never take any shit" although as Black people in the early 20th century they still had to put up with their fair share of nonsense. They also raised the girls to be comfortable with their sexuality which felt unusual for their time but might not actually have been. Furthermore their mother Zella is incredibly independent, leaving her husband and living by herself with the girls and pursuing her dreams. These things shaped Kennedy's Black feminism. But by chapter three it feels almost like reading a textbook on Black feminism and 20th century history. I learned a lot and it was great to see the author drop knowledge about reproductive justice such as; "Black legislators had been at the forefront of the battle to rend restrictive abortion laws long before the women's movement took up the issue" (170), a fact I had never learned in school. I also wish there had been more of a focus on interviewing Kennedy's sisters to learn about the impact Flo had on them.
I appreciated learning about the impact Flo Kennedy had on the legal system and feminism/political movements overall. "Florynce Kennedy was one of the lawyers for this influential suit, which she intended to take on appeal all the way to the Supreme Court in order to radically expand women's reproductive choices by making abortion legal in all fifty states. Indeed, the tactics developed in the Abramowiczcase-most notably the use of women as expert witnesses-would later be used in Roe v. Wade<.i>, the landmark 1973 federal case that overturned restrictive abortion laws. Although Kennedy was a lead lawyer for this case and one of the country's best-known black feminists, her key role in helping to legalize abortion has long been forgotten and is absent from most histories of post-war feminism and the reproductive rights battle" (168-169). In addition to her actual work (she worked on some very cool cases) and activism, a lot of her quips are just as darkly humorous as they were during her time because America has made little progress on dealing with its racist past. The quote I opened the review with struck me as funny but it also should give you pause because similar jokes are made online and in person amongst Black people to keep from crying over the pain of our everlasting condition.
I wish we had learned more about Flo as a person than just as a feminist icon and American hero but I am relived and extremely grateful that someone wrote a biography of Kennedy's life, it seems to be long overdue. At the very least Florynce Kennedy's story needs to be told frequently throughout Black and Women's History months (until we can get to year round appreciation). A little more Kennedy brass with the same amount of historical context would have made this book truly enjoyable.
I can't remember when/where (maybe from Gloria Steinem) I first learned about Florynce Kennedy but I immediately fell in love and knew I had to get my hands on as many books about her as possible. Unfortunately this is the only biography at the moment.
Quotes like the above demonstrate Kennedy's crackling wit but unfortunately these moments are few and far between. The book came across very dry which was so disappointing based on the hilarious anecdotes sprinkled throughout the book, it was clear she was larger than life but the book doesn't spend enough time conveying this. The book starts off strong, Kennedy's family is fascinating and you're clearly able to see how her family helped form her adult development, they are proud and determined. Their family motto is "never take any shit" although as Black people in the early 20th century they still had to put up with their fair share of nonsense. They also raised the girls to be comfortable with their sexuality which felt unusual for their time but might not actually have been. Furthermore their mother Zella is incredibly independent, leaving her husband and living by herself with the girls and pursuing her dreams. These things shaped Kennedy's Black feminism. But by chapter three it feels almost like reading a textbook on Black feminism and 20th century history. I learned a lot and it was great to see the author drop knowledge about reproductive justice such as; "Black legislators had been at the forefront of the battle to rend restrictive abortion laws long before the women's movement took up the issue" (170), a fact I had never learned in school. I also wish there had been more of a focus on interviewing Kennedy's sisters to learn about the impact Flo had on them.
I appreciated learning about the impact Flo Kennedy had on the legal system and feminism/political movements overall. "Florynce Kennedy was one of the lawyers for this influential suit, which she intended to take on appeal all the way to the Supreme Court in order to radically expand women's reproductive choices by making abortion legal in all fifty states. Indeed, the tactics developed in the Abramowiczcase-most notably the use of women as expert witnesses-would later be used in Roe v. Wade<.i>, the landmark 1973 federal case that overturned restrictive abortion laws. Although Kennedy was a lead lawyer for this case and one of the country's best-known black feminists, her key role in helping to legalize abortion has long been forgotten and is absent from most histories of post-war feminism and the reproductive rights battle" (168-169). In addition to her actual work (she worked on some very cool cases) and activism, a lot of her quips are just as darkly humorous as they were during her time because America has made little progress on dealing with its racist past. The quote I opened the review with struck me as funny but it also should give you pause because similar jokes are made online and in person amongst Black people to keep from crying over the pain of our everlasting condition.
I wish we had learned more about Flo as a person than just as a feminist icon and American hero but I am relived and extremely grateful that someone wrote a biography of Kennedy's life, it seems to be long overdue. At the very least Florynce Kennedy's story needs to be told frequently throughout Black and Women's History months (until we can get to year round appreciation). A little more Kennedy brass with the same amount of historical context would have made this book truly enjoyable.
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