Black Feminism Primary Source Paper 3
docx
keyboard_arrow_up
School
Bakersfield College *
*We aren’t endorsed by this school
Course
B20A
Subject
History
Date
Dec 6, 2023
Type
docx
Pages
5
Uploaded by GrandComputer6647
Combahee River Collective Statement:
Black Feminism
Miguel Gonzalez
HIST B20B: African American History Since 1870
Professor Jamal Wright
December 5, 2022
The Combahee River Collective Statement was composed in the early 1970s to specify
and interpret politics from the standpoint of black feminists. The statement addresses the social
injustices experienced by black women, including ethnicity, socioeconomic, sexual,
heterosexual, and labor suppression. It is divided into four primary sections: the origins of
modern Black feminism, beliefs, structural leadership, and feminist issues. Each subchapter
explains how black women are oppressed in American politics and the historical accounts that
influenced their struggle, such as radical feminism. According to the document, "a Black
feminist presence has evolved most obviously in connection with the second wave of the
American women's movement beginning in the late 1960s."
1
Similar movements, such as the
Civil Rights Movement and Black Power Movement were significantly influenced by black
women. This multidisciplinary group was founded in response to the belief that neither the
feminist nor human rights movements adequately addressed the issues confronting Black women
and lesbians. The Combahee River Collective Statement, which became an essential text in the
development of modern Black Feminism, was written by the organization. The statement
highlighted an aspect of reliance that previous writings had mostly neglected. It integrates social
difficulties unique to women and Black people, such as racial and sexual discrimination, as well
as homophobia, to offer a critical viewpoint for working toward a resolution. The statement also
acknowledges that, while African American women have always been activists and engaged in
movements for African American liberation and women's rights, their participations and
endeavors have been subverted by the racial prejudice and power imbalances that reside in these
movements. There needs to be a progression that endorses for the fundamental freedoms that
African American women deserve. African American women's hardships and perceptions are
1 Combahee River Collective, 2.
distinct from those of other groups in society. This is why they require a distinguishable and
distinct movement to advocate for their emancipation.
One conclusion that can be drawn from The Combahee River Collective Statement is that
African American women, despite an inadequate resources and interconnection to impactful
beings, are more than willing to fight racial inequality, gender discrimination, income disparity,
national factors, and much more as an independent coalition. This was based on the knowledge
that no present organization prioritizes the tyranny of African American women as they do in
their particular issues, which prompted black women to build their own campaign. Furthermore,
it was stated that black males may be challenged by the black feminist movement owing to the
possibility of this governing coalition cooperative acquiring the resources and "valuable and
hardworking allies"
2
who formerly aided black men and their battle. The document's final
conclusion is that the Black Feminism movement considers its goals of eradicating unjust
institutions that harm black women and are intertwined with other people's battles. "Although we
are feminists and lesbians, we feel solidarity with progressive Black men and do not advocate the
fractionalization that white women who are separatists demand." 3
The Combahee River Collective underlines how each person's encounters with tyranny
have had an impact on their sense of self. Given their queer viewpoint, they embrace politics that
strongly emphasize the necessity to liberate Black women through the adoption of racial politics.
They state humbly, "We reject pedestals, queenhood, and walking ten paces behind," while
upholding a non-elitist position for their group. "To be recognized as human, levelly human, is
enough”.
4
While reassuring the outside audience that particular identities considerations and
2 Combahee River Collective, 8.
3 Combahee River Collective, 4.
4 Combahee River Collective, 4.
Your preview ends here
Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version
- Access to all documents
- Unlimited textbook solutions
- 24/7 expert homework help
alliances do not favor one persecuted group's history of suffering above another, this proud
speech celebrates each participant's own narrative.
Works Cited
“The Combahee River Collective Statement - Yale University.” Accessed December 5, 2022. https://americanstudies.yale.edu/sites/default/files/files/Keyword
%20Coalition_Readings.pdf.