Table of Contents

List of Illustrations
Foreword by Robin D. G. Kelley
Preface by Barbara Smith
Acknowledgments

1. Chronicling an Activist Life

Virginia Eubanks and Alethia Jones

2. Home Grown: Early Roots of Activism

Roots of Beloved Community
Barbara Smith, “Interview by Loretta Ross,” Voices of Feminism Oral History Project (Smith and Ross 2003)
Interview with Barbara Ransby
“Klunder, Bruce W.,” The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History (1997)
Interview with Barbara Ransby

College Life and Activism
Barbara Smith, “Interview by Loretta Ross,” Voices of Feminism Oral History Project (Smith and Ross 2003)
Interviews with Barbara Ransby, Matt Richardson, and Alethia Jones

What Would It Mean to Be a Lesbian?
Barbara Smith, “Interview by Loretta Ross,” Voices of Feminism Oral History Project (Smith and Ross 2003)
“Taking the Home Out of Homophobia: Black Lesbian Health,” Jewelle Gomez and Barbara Smith (1990)
Barbara Smith, “Interview by Loretta Ross,” Voices of Feminism Oral History Project (Smith and Ross 2003)

3. Building Black Feminism

A New Era of Black Feminism
Interview with Virginia Eubanks
National Black Feminist Organization Statement of Purpose, National Black Feminist Organization (1973)
The Combahee River Collective Statement, Combahee River Collective ([1977], 1979)
Interviews with Kimberly Springer, Barbara Ransby, Alethia Jones, and Virginia Eubanks

Black Feminist Organizing Tactics
“Black Feminism: A Movement of Our Own,” Barbara Smith ([1984], 1997)
“Who Is Killing Us,” Terrion Williamson (2012)
Interview with Kimberly Springer

Building Linkages across Difference
“Face-to-Face, Day-to-Day—Racism CR [Consciousness Raising] Guidelines for Women’s Groups,” Tia Cross, Freada Klein, Barbara Smith, and Beverly Smith (1979)
“Breaking the Silence: A Conversation in Black and White,” Laura Sperazi (1978)
Interview with Virginia Eubanks

Unfinished Business
“Establishing Black Feminism,” Barbara Smith (2000)
“African American Women in Defense of Ourselves,” Elsa Barkley Brown, Deborah K. King, and Barbara Ransby
“Black Women Still in Defense of Ourselves,” Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw (2011)
Interviews with Kimberly Springer, Virginia Eubanks, and Alethia Jones

4. Building Black Women’s Studies

More Than Academic
“Doing Research on Black American Women, or; All the Women Are White, All the Blacks Are Men, But Some of Us Are Brave,” Barbara Smith (1975)
“The Politics of Black Women’s Studies,” Gloria Hull and Barbara Smith (1982)
“‘Beautiful, Needed, Mysterious’: Review of Sala by Toni Morrison,” Barbara Smith (1974)
Interview with Beverly Guy-Sheftall

“Irrevocable Acts”: Navigating Dangerous Waters
“Black Women Writers and Feminism: Toward a Black Feminist Criticism” (Bowles 1979)
“Black Women Writers and Feminism Questions&Answer Session” (Bowles 1979)
Interview with Beverly Guy-Sheftall

Truth Telling in the Academy
“Racism and Women’s Studies,” Barbara Smith (1980)
Interview with Virginia Eubanks

5. Building Kitchen Table Press

Black in Print
“Black Women and Publishing,” Modern Language Association Commission on the Status of Women in the Profession (1976)
“Our Stories: Women of Color,” Barbara Smith (1984)
Interview with Matt Richardson

Our Books Were Lifelines
“A Press of Our Own: Kitchen Table: Women of Color Press,” Barbara Smith (1989)
Kitchen Table: Women of Color Press titles 1983-1992
The Freedom Organizing pamphlet series
Interviews with Matt Richardson, Barbara Ransby, and Kimberly Springer

The Cost of Independence
“Packing Boxes and Editing Manuscripts: Women of Color in Feminist Publishing,” Sojourner Editorial Collective (1993)
Interview with Matt Richardson

6. Building Mutli-Issue Movements

Forging Coalitions: Fighting Homophobia, Racism, and Classism
“Soul on Hold,” Barbara Smith (1985)
“Blacks and Gays: Healing the Great Divide,” Barbara Smith (1993)
“Where Has Gay Liberation Gone? An Interview with Barbara Smith,” Amy Gluckman and Betsy Reed (1997)
“Will People of Color Pay the Price? A Statement by People of Color in Support of the Ad Hoc Committee for an Open Process,” Ted Beck, Mandy Carter, Chandra L. Ford, Kara Keeling, and Barbara Smith (1999)
“Organizing in Albany: Justice for Diallo,” Barbara Smith (2000)
Interviews with Joo-Hyun Kang and Kimberly Springer
“Please Don’t Fan Flames of Bigotry,” Barbara Smith (2011)
“It’s a Diverse World, and That Includes Sexuality,” Barbara Smith (2011)
“A New LGBT Politics Seeks to Marry Issues, Not Just People,” Jamilah King (2012)

Embraced by the Black Radical Congress
“The Struggle Continues: Setting a Black Liberation Agenda for the 21st Century: Call for Participation in the Black Radical Congress,” BRC Organizing Committee (1998)
“Black Radical Congress Principles of Unity,” BRC Organizing Committee (1998)
“Dialogue between Barbara Smith and Kimberly Springer,” Democracy Now! (1998)
Interviews with Barbara Ransby and Alethia Jones

7. Building Progressive Urban Politics

A Movement Builder on the Campaign Trail
“Black Feminist Activism: My Next Chapter,” Barbara Smith (2012)
Interviews with Vera “Mike” Michelson and Joo-Hyun Kang

In the Belly of the Beast
Interviews with Vera “Mike” Michelson, Alethia Jones, Barbara Ransby, and Virginia Eubanks
Flyer for Albany Neighborhoods First
“WAMC Commentary on Gun Violence,” Barbara Smith, July 21, 2008
SNUG rally flyer
“WAMC Commentary on Education,” Barbara Smith, November 6, 2008

Radical Visions versus Reformist Institutions
Interviews with Vera “Mike” Michelson, Virginia Eubanks, and Alethia Jones
Peace and Unity Resolution
Immigrant Rights Resolution

8. “Took Root, Bore Fruit”: Legacies and Futures of Black Feminist Life

Sheroes and Foremothers
Interview with Alexis Pauline Gumbs
University of Alabama letter from Robin Boylorn
Ella’s Daughters’ Seven Sisters Campaign, Ella’s Daughters (n.d.)

The Legacy of Kitchen Table Press and Black Women’s Studies
Interview with Alexis Pauline Gumbs
University of Alabama letter from Lisa C. Moore
University of Alabama letter from Sheri-Davis Faulkner

The Legacy of Combahee: Identity Politics and Interlocking Oppressions
Interview with Alexis Pauline Gumbs (2010)
“What Sistas Want, What Sistas Believe: Black Feminist Twelve Point Plan,” Black Feminist Working Group (2011)
Interviews with Virginia Eubanks and Alethia Jones

The Legacy of Combahee’s Organizing: Coalitions for Conscious Collective Solutions
Interview with Alexis Pauline Gumbs
UBUNTU Statement of Purpose
“Occupy Wall Street: Black Voices for Economic Justice Must Be Heard,” Ron Daniels (n.d.)

Black Feminist Futures
Interviews with Alexis Pauline Gumbs, Alethia Jones, and Virginia Eubanks
“Crunk Letter to Patriarchy,” Crunk Feminist Collective (2012)

Editorial Note
How We Built This Book
Bibliography
Interviews Commissioned for This Volume
Interviewer and Contributor Biographies
Index