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Women, Race, & Class by Angela Y. Davis
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Women, Race, & Class (original 1981; edition 1983)

by Angela Y. Davis

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2,045197,861 (4.39)30
This is a wonderful collection of essays about race (mainly black Americans v. white Americans/immigrants). Davis includes some really important information about early rich white (American) lady reproductive rights work and the exclusion of WOC and working class ladies from the movement. I take issue with some of her rhetorical strategies and she turns a blind eye to what politics is actually like when human beings are involved (frailties!), but overall this essay collection is 100% required reading (except perhaps that last chapter).

( )
1 vote eenee | Apr 2, 2013 |
Showing 14 of 14
Davis eloquently pinpoints the historical connections between sexism, racism, and economic inequality throughout America's struggle for gender equality. Chapter by chapter she dissects how those dehumanizing efforts have been a part of society: from antebellum America to the early 1980's. She highlights people who historically pointed out those intersections and rightfully should be heroes: like Frederick Douglass or W. E. B. Du Bois. Likewise, she casts a critical light on people like Margaret Sanger, Susan B. Anthony, and Elizabeth Cady Stanton--three women whose feminist ideas often took them down paths advocating racism or eugenics. Davis is best when summarizing history (as at times her pullquotes aren't that compelling). And I wish more of her caustic wit and personality would shine. Still, this book will knock you on your ass. It's as relevant today as it was when written. ( )
  JuntaKinte1968 | Dec 6, 2023 |
A good summary history of the ways the 3 topics in the title have intersected in American history - their struggles and the conflicts between them (predominantly focusing on gender and race). Of course it doesn't cover everything or in deep detail but it's written in a very clear, easy to read style with minimal jargon that gives an excellent introduction to the problems faced by eg black women in the suffrage movement. It's definitely really interesting and has lots of new stuff even if you're very familiar with this area. ( )
  tombomp | Oct 31, 2023 |
Required reading.

Be prepared for a challenging read. Not because of difficult writing, but because of the dark, complicated topics Davis brings to light. Here is so much history that was not part of my education and I am grateful to be schooled by the thoughtful work of Dr. Davis.

In light of current national news, here's one passage that rings true today even though it was published over 35 years ago:

"Racism has always served as a provocation to rape, and the white women of the United States have necessarily suffered from the ricochet fire of these attacks. This is one of the many ways in which racism nourishes sexism, causing white women to be indirectly victimized by the special oppression aimed at their sisters of color." 177 ( )
  rebwaring | Aug 14, 2023 |
Brilliant. ( )
  liberation999 | May 6, 2022 |
This sentence shows up in the opening paragraph:

"But amidst all this scholarly activity, the special intuition of the female slave remains unpenetrated."

At that point you already know your in the company of someone who understands the power of meaningful words.
1 vote thenumeraltwo | Jun 9, 2021 |
An early "bible" of sorts for me when I was just starting to expand my thinking on ... well ... women, race, and class. ( )
  subabat | Mar 19, 2018 |
Best for: Readers interested in learning more about the history of the women’s movement from a race and class perspective (it’s right there in the title).

In a nutshell: Brilliant academic and activist Angela Y. Davis provides a thorough history of the women’s movement, with a focus on the contributions of Black women and men and a deep analysis of the ways that white women in particular failed to support the needs of their Black sisters.

Line that sticks with me: “Yet there were those who understood that the abolition of slavery had not abolished the economic oppression of Black people, who therefore had a special and urgent need for political power.” (p73)

Why I chose it: Angela Davis is amazing. Also, I wanted to learn more about the history of the women’s movement outside the white lens.

Review: This book. I need to read this book again. Maybe twice a year. There is so much within it to unpack, to think about.

Ms. Davis starts with slavery and the entire concept of womanhood, looking at how the Black experience of womanhood in the U.S. differed from the experience of the white woman. She continues on through abolition and suffrage, focusing a large portion of her time on the 1850s-1930s. Each chapter feels like it could have been the start of a seminar on the topic; I assume there are (or at least could be) entire graduate-level courses constructed around examining each of these essays.

I didn’t really learn much about the U.S. suffragettes in school, so when I saw this article (http://the-toast.net/2014/04/21/suffragettes-sucked-white-supremacy-womens-rights/) a few years ago, I remember thinking ‘oh fuck.’ You may have seen a few of the more recent articles – like during the election – pointing this same thing out. But Ms. Davis gives so much more context to this, providing a detailed history, full of great original source material from speeches and other documents. It is frustrating and fascinating and infuriating, all at the same time.

She also focuses chapters near the end on the racial implications of rape (“Rape, Racism and the Myth of the Black Rapist”) and on how racism factored into and colors how Black women view birth control and reproductive right. Holy shit, people. These chapters are SO GOOD. Rage inducing, but critical to understanding this nation’s race relations history.

Not that I’m in any position to disagree with Ms. Davis on anything, but I did have a bit of a problem with the final chapter, on housework. Once you read it, you might understand when I say that I don’t disagree with her, but I think that she missed a big part of the picture. In that chapter, she takes issue with the fight for women to earn wages doing housework. She raises valid points, but in this area, I think fails to take into consideration what could bridge the gap between the current (bad) situation and the ideal situation.

But that’s one minor issue – and one I might change my mind about once I think on it more. The whole book is just fantastic. Go get it. ( )
  ASKelmore | Jul 8, 2017 |
I read this book for my Women in Politics class.

This book's central focus is intersectional feminism. It highlights how gender, race, and class factor into inequality. This book started off incredibly strong, but lost its way a bit in the later chapters. However, still a fantastic and insightful book. ( )
1 vote oddandbookish | May 3, 2016 |
This is a wonderful collection of essays about race (mainly black Americans v. white Americans/immigrants). Davis includes some really important information about early rich white (American) lady reproductive rights work and the exclusion of WOC and working class ladies from the movement. I take issue with some of her rhetorical strategies and she turns a blind eye to what politics is actually like when human beings are involved (frailties!), but overall this essay collection is 100% required reading (except perhaps that last chapter).

( )
1 vote eenee | Apr 2, 2013 |
This book had the most incredible and insightful research. The detailed information on the plight of the enslaved woman was amazing. Another favorite chapter of mine was, Racism, Birth Control, and Reproductive Rights. The previously mentioned chapter sheds light on widespread practice of surgical sterilization. Ms. Davis especially makes a point of how this practice was forced upon the poor. It was also refreshing to read about women who were influential in the Communist and Worker's Rights movements. There was also eye-opening accounts of how racism was rampant in the suffrage movement. This book was straightforward nothing but the facts. I would have liked Ms. Davis to convey more of her thoughts and feelings. You can gather her perspective to a degree but you do not close the book feeling like any certain view was being forced upon you. ( )
  pinkcrayon99 | Feb 23, 2010 |
Angela Davis does a great job in explaining the historical and contemporary issues within women's movements that overlook the needs of black and other non-white women. This book could easily read as the precursor to Dorothy Robert's "Killing the Black Body" as there is some overlap in subject matter between the two books: slavery, early Woman's Suffrage Movements (and the racism in them), and most obviously, a section on reproductive rights. Davis also attacks capitalism while she's at it and even includes a section on notable women (both black and white) within the Communist movement in this country. A very easy and educational read. ( )
  araridan | Jun 3, 2008 |
This is one of those books that I had always meant to read but just never did, and now I regret not picking it up sooner! It is smart, mind-opening, and just as relevant now as when it was published nearly 30 years ago.

This is absolutely required reading, not just for all feminists, not just for all who say "i'm not a feminist, but....", but for all women. In this day and age, we have to work together with women from all races, classes, and cultures to create a more equitable society. Reading this book is a great place to start. ( )
  plenilune | Mar 22, 2008 |
Longtime activist, author and political figure Angela Davis brings us this expose of the women's movement in the context of the fight for civil rights and working class issues. She uncovers a side of the fight for suffrage many of us have not heard: the intimate tie between the anti-slavery campaign and the struggle for women's suffrage. She shows how the racist and classist bias of some in the women's movement have divided its own membership. Davis' message is clear: If we ever want equality, we're gonna have to fight for it together ( )
  addict | Dec 28, 2006 |
one of the first black feminist books i read. a must read for all feminists. ( )
  terese | May 27, 2006 |
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