Comments on: Black Feminism: Combahee River Collective Statement

By: Anna Renee

Anna Renee — Sat, 22 Jan 2011 10:07:53 +0000

I wish you did have words to express! I would love to know more from your perspective, about African woman's feminism!! I'm reminded of a wonderful poet who goes by the name of Nkirote Nkirote, or Tafsiri Hii, or Ms XX. She has two blogs that I'm aware of--A BLACK WOMAN'S POEM and A (Black) Woman's Song. Her poem blog is my favorite. She finds some of the most beautiful words to express an African woman's feminism. Her poems are devastating! She gets to the heart of the matter with few well placed piercing words. Read her work and be uplifted.

By: EPHRATA MULATE

EPHRATA MULATE — Sat, 22 Jan 2011 02:04:12 +0000

WHEN I TRY TO SAY SOMETHING ABOUT FEMINISM, PARTICULARLY, AFRICAN FEMINISM, ME GOT HAVE NO WORDS REALLY TO EXPRESS MY DEEPEST FEELING!!!! BECAUSE FEMINISIM IN THE AFRICAN CONTEXT MEAN AN INTERSECTING ISSUES THAT RELATED WITH MANY THINGS. AND IN SIMPLE WORD LET ME BORROW FROM THE BELOVED FEMALE WRITER, Dr. BUCHI EMECHETA,S NOVEL, THE DOUBLE YOKE!!!!!!

YES THE AFRICAN WOMEN’S BURDEN COUNT LESS TO MENTION. THAT IS WHY WE SAID THAT AFRICAN FEMINISM IS DEFERENT FROM THAT OF WESTERN FEMINISM.

By: Black Feminism | illvox: anarchist people of color, race, anarchy, revolution

Sat, 20 Sep 2008 15:40:57 +0000

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By: Delux

Delux — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 16:44:11 +0000

I am deeply amused that so many people seem to be missing the historical point, that this was a piece written by a group of very Black feminist activists at least twenty years ago…

By: Kala Nation

Kala Nation — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 05:01:16 +0000

I did a post called From African Queen to Porn Queen, and after 200 replies from different sites I know this is a touchy subject.I understand that some of our sisters are hurting.But they have to remember these same White feminist still end up growing out of that feminist rebellion and marry that dream White man.Self hate already ingrained in our collective culture was a bad mixture with feminism.It taught many Black women that any form of maleness they may have known was evil.So after a few years in college,many of our sisters come home not respecting the minister,father,brother,husband,ect or any male figure that gave foundation in her youth.How did this happen?We were always strong because we formed bonds that we sustained during and after slavery.Black love was priceless.We were more safe when we loved each other and stuck together.Women cannot use feminism as an excuse to run around like like tramps and be sexually aggressive like me men.Women need to respect men more.

By: jon

jon — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 01:12:27 +0000

What about the term Womanism? I find this title in keeping with Sojourner Truth. White Feminism has never acknowledged the full magnitude of racism and white privilege and they never will because we live in a racist society and they benefit from it, i.e. Affirmative Action.

By: credo

credo — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 17:32:54 +0000

Excellence post.
B.C. as a woman, an african-american, I do not buy into the feminist label..I am an african-american women with an interest in the african-american community.

I so agree with you on the herd mentality lead by a group of raced white women. These same raced white women had to determine which among their raced white women were fitting of the title feminist..Betty Friedan, Gloria S., Adrinna, and on and on while African-American women attended to sit at the table with Sojourner Truth’s mantra, “ain’t I a woman”.

These are the same women including some African-American women ,who are attempting to put Hillary into the white house as a feminist.

Forget the Janet Jackson, or Tina Turner mantra, what have you done for me lately. Feminist, such as Hillary remind their husband, father, brothers, whatever time and time again, that the nation must remember their patrotic sisters before allowing the African-Americans to take power. And Hillary uses Malcolm X’s mantra, by any means possible!

Here’s the real deal, we are all in this together, either united or divided..we African-Americans did not get lynched, killed to vote based on gender or racial equality. We fought this battle to tell America we have the numbers to win.

Yes, Obama can.

By: Tracey

Tracey — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 19:50:51 +0000

Awesome post.

One of the things that truly burns me are people who have an extremely large misunderstanding of feminism and its purpose. Reading Bobby C’s comments is a perfect example of someone who has no understanding of feminsim at all and what the feminist movement has done for white women.

NOW is one of the most powerful women’s organizations in the world. What backlash are they facing? Gloria Steinem wrote her Op-Ed directly to quash interesting in Barack Obama and it was carried across the world. What backlash are you talking about? Young white feminists are all over the blogs, college campuses, and heavily involved in this current political campaign. Again, what backlash?

White women made enormous gains because of the feminist movement in education, business, and politics. Hillary Clinton would not be in the mix right now if it was not for feminism. Ann Coulter would not be running around spewing her venom without feminism leading the way for her to get the opportunity to be on tv in the first place.

Don’t believe the hype. People who speak against feminism are the same folks that think black people would be where they are today without the civil rights and black power movements. All of these movements were ambitious and fell mightly short of their goals, but they all made tremendous strides for they particular groups they targeted.

Backlash my backside.

By: thefreeslave

thefreeslave — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 02:32:54 +0000

I just want to be clear that I did not write this statement- in case anyone had that idea. Black women did, this particular collective of black women did. And, no matter what you call it, black men and women need to examine ‘carefully’ the dynamics between us to ensure that we honor each other’s right to be all we can be. We can’t seek justice or freedom “out there” when we don’t have it “in here.” We need justice and freedom internally (individual/within the race) and externally – in the belly of the beast.

By: lovebabz08

lovebabz08 — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 22:51:29 +0000

This is powerful stuff. I do not believe Sisters–Black Women are moving away from feminism–I do think we have so many other things that are pulling our attention away from a womanist point of view. Amend nothing. You are on point. If re-education needs to happen around re-defining or simply defining the terms…then so be it. I for one say it is high time that this very specific and direct conversation begin to unfold to a larger audience. Where so I sign?

By: Bobby C

Bobby C — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 16:16:52 +0000

IMHO, by utilising the term “feminism”, and then attempting to redefine the “seperatist” phrase, you do yourselves a diss-service, and ensure you spend much effort trying to reeducate people to the original definition of the term, as above.
Feminism is very threatening to the majority because of the untold harm it has done to all communities that took up the mantra previously.
Feminism has now been widely debunked as an “establishment trick”, or “fad” of the Edward Bernays school of herd control, and has been used to hoodwink women from enjoying their womanhood and bringing them out to, unnecessarily, compete with their male counterparts – and as can be seen it was worked……… well, to the cost of ALL children and society at large – but not the globalist corporations who have benefitied from the “cheaper” (in may respects) labour, the increased disposable income. This increase in disposable income has been completely swallowed up in the increase in costs of housing and consumerables used in many a case to make up for the “loss”, borne of feminism and the spiritual vacuum, left in it’s “lonely” wake.
The backlash against feminism, is now more vocal among the female community, having – though far too late – understood the folly of the “feminist” deception.
There are many terms that could be used:
Sisterhood, Fellowship, Circle, Alliance to name but a few and FORTUNATELY many black women are turning away from “feminist” movements due to the, now fully recognised, negative impacts on themselves and their communities.

You would do well to save a lot of explaining and simply amend your title to something more conducive with your intention, as opposed to a thoroughly discredited movement of old.

By: Anonymiss

Anonymiss — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 05:27:39 +0000

Where can I sign up?

This issue with feminism is a touchy and/or nonexistent subject in our community.

Feminism is a touchy subject because of the negative labels associated with feminism (i.e., male bashing, lesbians, unattractive, elitist) and it’s nonexistent because many Blk women don’t wanna acknowledge it.

I think some of us don’t wanna acknowledge feminism or be deemed “feminists” because of the negative labels, because of the separatist attitudes of White feminists, and because of the elitism of some involved in the feminist movement.

By: Pages tagged "radical"

Pages tagged "radical" — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 04:40:35 +0000

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By: Politics » Black Feminism: Combahee River Collective Statement

Politics » Black Feminism: Combahee River Collective Statement — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 03:07:38 +0000

[...] thefreeslave wrote an interesting post today on Black Feminism: Combahee River Collective StatementHere’s a quick excerptWe are a collective of Black feminists who have been meeting together since 1974…involved in the process of defining and clarifying our politics, while…doing political work within our own group and in coalition with other progressive … [...]