How we get free

black feminism and the Combahee River Collective

Paperback, 191 pages

English language

Published Nov. 8, 2017 by Haymarket Books.

ISBN:
978-1-60846-855-3
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OCLC Number:
975027867

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4 stars (11 reviews)

"In the last several years, Black feminism has reemerged as the analytical framework for the activist response to the oppression of trans women of color, the fight for reproductive rights, and, of course, the movement against police abuse and violence. The most visible organizations and activists connected to the Black Lives Matter movement speak openly about how Black feminism shapes their politics and strategies today. The interviews I have compiled in this book--with the three authors of the Combahee River Collective Statement, Barbara Smith, Beverly Smith, and Demita Frazier, #BlackLivesMatter cofounder Alicia Garza, and historian and activist Barbara Ransby--are an attempt to show how these politics remain historically vibrant and relevant to the struggles of today. As Demita Frazier says, the point of talking about Combahee is not to be nostalgic; rather, we talk about it because Black women are still not free"--

3 editions

Review of 'How we get free' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

First: With this and How We Go Home (an oral history book on indigenous north america) I think I've come to realize I'm really into oral history books. Maybe it's that they remind me of interview podcasts? Regardless, it's been a pleasant surprise.

Second: This book is great. The Combahee River Collective Statement, which opens this book, is an incredible document. Concise, easy to understand, unambiguously anti-racist and anti-patriarchal of course, but also anti-capitalist, anti-imperialist, quotable in it's entirety and a must read. It is then followed by very enjoyable and insightful interviews with its authors and other relevant actors in black feminist activism.

Review of 'How we get free' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

This book wasn’t what I expected, so I was kind of disappointed. The interview format didn’t work well for me - it was meandering and often the interview questions weren’t really answered. But it is amazing to see how much has changed, and how much stays the same. These women have had to fight so hard.

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Subjects

  • Social conditions
  • Combahee River Collective
  • Feminism
  • African American women
  • History

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