Written in 1983, Women, Race & Class by Angela Davis takes a serious look at the intersection of feminism and racism in America. In this collection of writings, Davis touches on a range of topics that point to the struggles of the Black woman fighting to fight for equality in a movement that fails to include her.
It starts with a telling and often gruesome discussion on the female slave, detailing the laborious expectations on the field coupled with her complex role in the home (slave quarters). She even goes into the brutal punishments regularly inflicted – from the abuse experienced by pregnant women to the brutal rapes at the hands of White men. This, for me, was the hardest part of the book to read because of the raw brutality illustrated.
The subsequent essays delve into the history of the women’s movement and the influence of African-Americans, most notably the likes of Fredrick Douglas, Sojourner Truth and Ida B. Wells. As the book progresses, Davis articulates the various issues that were used to ostracize Black women from the overall women’s rights movement since the late nineteenth century. Whether it was excluding Black women to gain support from the South for women’s suffrage or ignoring issues of forced sterilizations when it came to reproductive rights, there has always been an unfortunate division in the movement that ultimately and consistently left the needs of Black women unaddressed.
With Women, Race & Class, Davis brings these issues – and more – to light with the message of unity for the benefit of everyone in the fight for equality. It’s definitely a must read, especially for young Black women like myself.
A favorite quote:
“Evidence of the accumulated strengths Black women have forged through work, work and more work can be discovered in the contributions of the many outstanding female leaders who have emerged within the Black community. Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, Ida Wells and Rosa Parks are not exceptional Black women as much as they are epitomes of Black womanhood.”
–Mademoiselle Mitchell
Review courtesy C’est La Vie.