student presentation

1. A presentation by Vicki and Anthony
Week 8 – “putting it all together”

2.  They were a group of Black
Feminists in Boston during the
1970’s.
 “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” (pp264).
 They viewed “the major systems of
oppression….as interlocking”

3.  They did not identify themselves as being “feminists” – they were “Black feminists”
and their beliefs were separate and distinct from those of “feminists”
 They did not want the “queenhood” and dominance white feminists craved – for the
River Collective it would simply be enough “to be recognised as human”(p267)
 The River Collective felt solidarity with black men, as they were also victims of
racialised, white American society, but they also struggled against them with regards
to sexism within society
 On the other hand, white women were in solidarity with white men in “being racial
oppressors”, whilst also struggling against them about sexism

4.  As black feminists, they took an interest in the exploitation and inequality of women
around the world, and were committed to fighting against issues which would only
deepen and reproduce struggles of race, class and gender.
 For example, they protested outside a hospital which was planning on cutting the
amount of aid it sent to healthcare centres in Africa

5.  The group experienced a number of disagreements amongst its members regarding
its purpose.
 For example, they often experienced a “straight/lesbian” divide when deciding on
which projects to undertake.
 Eventually, the group’s membership dwindled, and it became less of a political group
and more of a ‘study group’, focussing on black feminist literature
 This shift in dynamics meant that it became increasingly difficult for the group to
fulfil it’s initial role of activism, and The Combahee River Collective disbanded in
1980.