How We Get Free: Black Feminism and the Combahee River Collective

How We Get Free examines the history and impact of the Combahee River Collective, a Black feminist organization active in Boston during the 1970s. The book combines historical analysis with interviews featuring key members of the collective, including Barbara Smith, Beverly Smith, and Demita Frazier. Taylor explores how the Collective developed its influential statement on Black feminism, which articulated the concept of intersecting oppressions faced by Black women. The work documents the organization's grassroots activism and theoretical contributions during a period of social upheaval and emerging identity politics movements. The text places the Collective's work in conversation with contemporary Black feminist organizing and social movements. Beyond historical documentation, the book demonstrates how the Combahee River Collective's ideas about identity, solidarity, and liberation continue to resonate in current struggles for social justice. Through this examination of radical Black feminist organizing, Taylor presents a framework for understanding how theory and practice can combine to create transformative political movements. The book raises essential questions about coalition-building and the ongoing work of fighting multiple, interconnected systems of oppression.

Readers note this book provides context and history around the Combahee River Collective through interviews with founding members. Many reviews highlight how the book connects historical Black feminist organizing to contemporary movements. Readers appreciated: - Clear explanations of intersectionality before the term existed - First-hand accounts from movement leaders - Practical examples of organizing methods - The inclusion of original CRC statement text Common criticisms: - Too short/wanted more depth (multiple readers) - Interview format felt repetitive - Limited broader historical context - Some readers found the introduction too academic Ratings: Goodreads: 4.41/5 (2,300+ ratings) Amazon: 4.8/5 (390+ ratings) Sample review: "The interviews help show how theory emerged from lived experience and collective struggle. But I wished for more analysis connecting past to present movements." - Goodreads reviewer "Direct and honest accounts that demonstrate why Black feminist politics remain relevant today." - Amazon reviewer

Sister Outsider by Audre Lorde This collection of essays examines the intersections of race, class, and gender through personal narratives and political analysis from a Black feminist perspective.

Women, Race, and Class by Angela Y. Davis The text traces the historical connections between racism, sexism, and economic exploitation from slavery through the modern feminist movement.

This Bridge Called My Back by Cherríe Moraga This anthology brings together writings by women of color who explore their experiences at the intersection of race, class, gender, and sexuality.

Black Feminist Thought by Patricia Hill Collins The book presents a framework for understanding Black women's knowledge production and resistance through intellectual and political traditions.

All the Women Are White, All the Blacks Are Men, But Some of Us Are Brave by Gloria T. Hull, Patricia Bell Scott, and Barbara Smith This groundbreaking collection documents the development of Black Women's Studies and its impact on feminist theory and activism.

🔸 The Combahee River Collective, formed in 1974, took its name from the location where Harriet Tubman led a military campaign that freed more than 750 enslaved people in 1863. 🔸 Author Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor was nominated for a National Book Award in 2016 for her book "From #BlackLivesMatter to Black Liberation." 🔸 The Combahee River Collective Statement, a key focus of the book, was one of the first documents to address the concept of "intersectionality," though the term itself wasn't coined until later by Kimberlé Crenshaw. 🔸 The book won the Lambda Literary Award for LGBTQ Nonfiction in 2018, highlighting the Collective's groundbreaking work in addressing both sexuality and race in Black feminist politics. 🔸 The members of the Collective were among the first activists to address violence against Black women as a political issue, launching campaigns against sterilization abuse and violence against women before these became mainstream feminist causes.