The Combahee River Collective

Where science, community, and art take form

Opening Statement

We are a collective of Black feminists who have been meeting together since 1974. [1] During that time we have been involved in the process of defining and clarifying our politics, while at the same time doing political work within our own group and in coalition with other progressive organizations and movements. The most general statement of our politics at the present time would be that we are actively committed to struggling against racial, sexual, heterosexual, and class oppression, and see as our particular task the development of integrated analysis and practice based upon the fact that the major systems of oppression are interlocking. The synthesis of these oppressions creates the conditions of our lives. As Black women we see Black feminism as the logical political movement to combat the manifold and simultaneous oppressions that all women of color face.

We will discuss four major topics in the paper that follows: (1) the genesis of contemporary Black feminism; (2) what we believe, i.e., the specific province of our politics; (3) the problems in organizing Black feminists, including a brief herstory of our collective; and (4) Black feminist issues and practice.

The Core Takeaways

(1) the genesis of contemporary Black feminism; (2) what we believe, i.e., the specific province of our politics; (3) the problems in organizing Black feminists, including a brief herstory of our collective; and (4) Black feminist issues and practice.

Takeaways and Points of Inquiry

Sources

chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://americanstudies.yale.edu/sites/default/files/files/Keyword%20Coalition_Readings.pdf

Editorial Note:

The Collective has been a catalyst for many of the projects and topics I take on as interests or reasons to explore archives more deeply. Preserving and cultivating knowledge about marginalized communities keeps a broader record of our modern-day history alive.

Not for nothing, being an Art B.A.E. and building out a membership and community portal for fellowship and co-learning across fields, institutions, and communities is precisely where I see myself and my platform one day.

But until then, boycott and champion mutual aid practices. Question your government and authority figures, learn your rights, and protect the rights of others. Become hostile to hate by being radically empathetic and nonpartisan in your decisions that affect society beyond yourself.

“The most disrespected person in America is the Black woman. The most unprotected person in America is the Black woman. The most neglected person in America is the Black woman.”
— Malcolm X