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A review by kevin_shepherd
How We Get Free: Black Feminism and the Combahee River Collective by Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor
4.0
“If Black women were free, it would mean that everyone else would have to be free since our freedom would necessitate the destruction of all the systems of oppression.” -The Combahee River Collective Statement, 1977
The Combahee River Collective was a feminist organization that incorporated feminism, socialism, and LGBTQ activism. Active from 1974 to 1980, the Collective maintained that both the Civil Rights Movement and the Feminist Movement failed to address the needs of Black women, especially LGBTQ Black women.
The founders of CRC argued that mainstream feminism was fraught with racist ideologies and the Civil Rights Movement had a heavily sexist and homophobic slant. Black women needed an inclusive, representative voice; a platform from which ALL Black women could be heard.
How We Get Free begins with the ‘The Combahee River Collective Statement.’ Written half a century ago, the CRCS is a manifesto of the highest order. It identifies and clarifies the roots of Black feminism. It states the goals and objectives of Black feminism. It recognizes the potential pitfalls of setting Black feminism apart from other activist constructs. And finally it defines the projects necessary to achieve the aforementioned goals and objectives. The CRCS stands today both as a testament to progressive acumen and as a sobering reminder of unfulfilled promise. The fact that the Statement is still relevant means that we’re not yet where we need to be. Not. Even. Close.
The most enlightening parts of How We Get Free are the interviews of Barbara Smith, Beverly Smith, Demita Frazier, and Alicia Garza. Four women I was shamefully unaware of but now thankfully will never forget. These are passionate activists on the right side of history. Anyone who fails to take these women seriously does so at his/her own peril.
“Always ally yourself with those on the bottom, on the margins, and at the periphery of the centers of power …in doing so you will land yourself at the very center of some of the most important struggles of our society and our history.”
NOTE: Thank you Monica for putting this book on my radar!
The Combahee River Collective was a feminist organization that incorporated feminism, socialism, and LGBTQ activism. Active from 1974 to 1980, the Collective maintained that both the Civil Rights Movement and the Feminist Movement failed to address the needs of Black women, especially LGBTQ Black women.
The founders of CRC argued that mainstream feminism was fraught with racist ideologies and the Civil Rights Movement had a heavily sexist and homophobic slant. Black women needed an inclusive, representative voice; a platform from which ALL Black women could be heard.
How We Get Free begins with the ‘The Combahee River Collective Statement.’ Written half a century ago, the CRCS is a manifesto of the highest order. It identifies and clarifies the roots of Black feminism. It states the goals and objectives of Black feminism. It recognizes the potential pitfalls of setting Black feminism apart from other activist constructs. And finally it defines the projects necessary to achieve the aforementioned goals and objectives. The CRCS stands today both as a testament to progressive acumen and as a sobering reminder of unfulfilled promise. The fact that the Statement is still relevant means that we’re not yet where we need to be. Not. Even. Close.
The most enlightening parts of How We Get Free are the interviews of Barbara Smith, Beverly Smith, Demita Frazier, and Alicia Garza. Four women I was shamefully unaware of but now thankfully will never forget. These are passionate activists on the right side of history. Anyone who fails to take these women seriously does so at his/her own peril.
“Always ally yourself with those on the bottom, on the margins, and at the periphery of the centers of power …in doing so you will land yourself at the very center of some of the most important struggles of our society and our history.”
NOTE: Thank you Monica for putting this book on my radar!