The Combahee River Collective Statement: Black Feminist Organizing in the Seventies and Eighties
We 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 organizations and movements…. [W]e see Black feminism as the logical political movement to combat the manifold and simultaneous oppressions that all women of color face.
1. The Genesis of Contemporary Black Feminism
[W]e find our origins in the historical reality of Afro-American women’s continuous life-and-death struggle for survival and liberation…. As Angela Davis points out, Black women have always embodied an adversary stance to white male rule and have actively resisted its inroads upon them and their communities…. Black, other Third World, and working women have been involved in the feminist movement from its start, but both outside reactionary forces and racism and elitism within the movement itself have served to obscure our participation…. Black feminist politics also have an obvious connection to movements for Black liberation, particularly those of the 1960s and 1970s…. It was our experience and disillusionment within these liberation movements, as well as experience on the periphery of the white male left, that led to the need to develop a politics that was anti-racist, unlike those of white women, and anti-sexist, unlike those of Black and white men. There is also undeniably a personal genesis for Black feminism…. However, we had no way of conceptualizing what was so apparent to us, what we knew was really happening…. Our development must also be tied to the contemporary economic and political position of Black people…. [A] handful of us have been able to gain certain tools as a result of tokenism in education and employment which potentially enable us to more effectively fight our oppression…. [A]s we developed politically we addressed ourselves to heterosexism and economic oppression under capitalism.
2. What We Believe
Our politics evolve from a healthy love for ourselves, our sisters and our community which allows us to continue our struggle and work. This focusing upon our own oppression is embodied in the concept of identity politics…. [T]he most profound and potentially most radical politics come directly out of our own identity…[t]o be recognized as human, levelly human, is enough…. 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…. We struggle together with Black men against racism, while we also struggle with Black men about sexism…. We are socialists because we believe that work must be organized for the collective benefit of those who do the work and create the products, and not for the profit of the bosses…. We need to articulate the real class situation of persons…for whom racial and sexual oppression are significant determinants in their working/economic lives…. [O]ur Black women’s style of talking/testifying in Black language about what we have experienced has a resonance that is both cultural and political…. No one before has ever examined the multilayered texture of Black women’s lives…. “Smart-ugly” crystallized the way in which most of us had been forced to develop our intellects at great cost to our “social” lives…. We have a great deal of criticism and loathing for what men have been socialized to be in this society…[b]ut we do not have the misguided notion that it is their maleness, per se–i.e., their biological maleness–that makes them what they are.
3. Problems in Organizing Black Feminists
The major source of difficulty in our political work is that we are…trying…to address a whole range of oppressions…. We are dispossessed psychologically and on every other level, and yet we feel the necessity to struggle to change the condition of all Black women…. 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. Feminism is, nevertheless, very threatening to the majority of…people because it calls into question some of the most basic assumptions about our existence, i.e., that sex should be a determinant of power relationships…. We feel that it is absolutely essential to demonstrate the reality of our politics to other Black women and believe that we can do this through writing and distributing our work.
4. Black Feminist Issues and Projects
The inclusiveness of our politics makes us concerned with any situation that impinges upon the lives of women, Third World and working people. We are of course particularly committed to working on those struggles in which race, sex and class are simultaneous factors in oppression…. One issue that is of major concern to us and that we have begun to publicly address is racism in the white women’s movement…. Eliminating racism in the white women’s movement is by definition work for white women to do, but we will continue to speak to and demand accountability on this issue…. As feminists we do not want to mess over people in the name of politics…. We are committed to a continual examination of our politics as they develop through criticism and self-criticism as an essential aspect of our practice.
Are we, as black people willing to not “fractionalize,” be committed to “continual examination of our politics as they develop through criticism and self-criticism as an essential aspect of our practice?”
Or shall we continue to default into the tracks, patterns and paths laid out for us by our enemy? Shall we continue to devalue black women and practice patriarchy and real domination? Can we talk about these issues with emotional integrity, with intellectual and spiritual courage?
We’d better begin and soon.
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Anonymiss said:
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.
Bobby C said:
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.
lovebabz08 said:
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?
thefreeslave said:
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.
Tracey said:
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.
credo said:
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.
jon said:
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.
Kala Nation said:
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.
Delux said:
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…
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EPHRATA MULATE said:
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.
Anna Renee said:
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.