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Marion Jones interviews members of the Combahee River Collective, whose 1977 statement defined intersectional, socialist feminist politics. thenation.com/article/society/combahee-river-collective-oral-history/Permalink On twitter.com
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“Here we are, a group of Black lesbian feminist anti-imperialist anti-capitalists trying to do the right thing, attempting to make ourselves visible and to explain ourselves, and to assert our existence as political entities.”Permalink On twitter.com
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“We called ourselves, ‘the smart girl crew.’” Engaged w/ writers Toni Morrisson, Alice Walker, Toni Cade Bambara. “Back in my day, there was admiration for people who had read the great political thinkers and who could use their terminology and insights in the present.”Permalink On twitter.com
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The Combahee River Collective statement invented “identity politics”: “We believe that the most profound and potentially most radical politics come directly out of our own identity, as opposed to working to end somebody else’s oppression.Permalink On twitter.com
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“In the case of Black women this is a particularly repugnant, dangerous, threatening, and therefore revolutionary concept because it is obvious from looking at all the political movements that have preceded us that anyone is more worthy of liberation than ourselves.”Permalink On twitter.com
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On the backlash to IP: “Identity politics, as we defined it, is absolutely, positively useful. Identity politics is a two-word phrase that has been completely misunderstood and weaponized against progressive, radical, and revolutionary projects. …”Permalink On twitter.com
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“Don’t forget identity politics was never meant to say your own unique identity was the only thing that mattered or that the most crucial aspect of focusing on identity is through representation.”Permalink On twitter.com
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“In 1977, as Black feminists and lesbians, we recognize[d] that we have a very different revolutionary task to perform & that we are prepared for the lifetime of work and struggle that awaits. Now [in] 2021, that assertion about being committed for the long haul was accurate.”Permalink On twitter.com
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Collective members continue their activism, celebrate a new generation’s achievements and commitment to both care and organizing…Permalink On twitter.com
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“I like how young people are talking about self-care. Back in the day, if you took care of yourself, you weren’t committed enough, which was a very patriarchal male-dominated way of thinking about organizing. …Permalink On twitter.com
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“… I’m grateful that the young organizers are now thinking about healing. Having said that, I believe there is a much greater emphasis now on the individual. I wish there was more of an ethic of caring for each other.”Permalink On twitter.com
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“Younger people are doing what needs to be done while attempting to do so in a highly complex environment. Compassionate understanding, recognizing the character and difficulties of these times, … I’m done with all these fake-ass wars between boomers, millennials, and Gen Zs.”Permalink On twitter.com
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“For me, the political project is to talk about love, to be loved, to bring joy in whatever small and large ways I can.”On twitter.com
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P.S. I've made a semiconscious choice to interweave collective members' views anonymously here, since their separate biographies are unknown to me. They are Beverly Smith, Demita Frazier, Margo Okazawa-Rey, interviewed by Marian Jones. Their quotes here: thenation.com/article/society/combahee-river-collective-oral-history/Permalink On twitter.com
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Combahee River Collective Statement is archived here: blackpast.org/african-american-history/combahee-river-collective-statement-1977/Permalink On twitter.com