We Were There: The Third World Women's Alliance and the Second Wave

by Patricia Romney

Overview

"Fifty years ago, the Third World Women’s Alliance passionately insisted on interconnections among racism, sexism, and capitalism, inspiring radical analytical frameworks and organizing strategies associated with contemporary conceptions of feminism. We are deeply indebted to Patricia Romney for helping to generate a record of the Alliance’s pioneering contributions and thus for ensuring that their revolutionary legacies live on." —Angela Y. Davis, author of Freedom Is a Constant Struggle

From 1970 to 1980, the Third World Women’s Alliance lived the dream of third world feminism. The small bicoastal organization was one of the earliest groups advocating for what came to be known as intersectional activism, arguing that women of color faced a “triple jeopardy” of race, gender, and class oppression. Rooted in the Black civil rights move­ment, the TWWA pushed the women’s movement to address issues such as sterilization abuse, infant mortality, welfare, and wage exploitation, and challenged third world activist organizations to address sexism in their ranks. Widely recognized as the era’s pri­mary voice for women of color, this alliance across ethnic and racial identities was unique then and now.

Interweaving oral history, scholarly and archival research, and first-person memoir, We Were There documents how the TWWA shaped and defined second wave feminism. Highlight­ing the essential contributions of women of color to the justice move­ments of the 1970s, this historical resource will inspire activists today and tomorrow, reminding a new generation that solidarity is the only way forward.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781952177835
Publisher:	Feminist Press at CUNY, The
Publication date:	10/21/2021
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	6 MB

About the Author

Patricia Romney received her PhD in clinical psychology from the City University of New York. She is a retired professor who taught at Hampshire College and Mount Holyoke College, and is the coeditor of Understanding Power: An Imperative for Human Services. She is based in Amherst, MA.

Farah Ameen is a Bangladeshi American writer and editor who has worked at major national magazines for decades. She is passionate about issues of women's rights, race, and the immigrant experience. She lives in Amherst, MA.

Table of Contents

Foreword Farah Ameen xi

Author's Note xv

Introduction: The Need for This Story 1

A Luta Continua: Alliance Women Today 15

Part I East Coast Organizing

Chapter 1 August 26, 1970 21

Chapter 2 From Double Jeopardy to Triple Jeopardy: The Genesis of the TWWA 43

Chapter 3 The New York Chapter (1970-1977): Platform, Theory, and Praxis 73

Part II West Coast Organizing

Chapter 4 Westward Expansion (1972-1980): Seattle Third World Women and the Bay Area Chapter 131

Chapter 5 International Women's Day 176

Part III Alliance Legacy

Chapter 6 Third World Women's Alliance Collaborators 203

Chapter 7 Reflecting Back/Looking Forward 215

Acknowledgments 249

Appendix: Platform of the TWWA 253

Notes 262

Editorial Reviews

07/19/2021

Psychologist and activist Romney (coeditor, Understanding Power) delivers a comprehensive insider history of the Third World Women’s Alliance (TWWA), a feminist organization that was active from 1970 to 1980. Romney details the group’s emergence from the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, and its development into an intersectional, multicultural, and sisterhood-centered organization for working-class Black, Latina, Asian, and Middle Eastern women who comprised America’s “third world.” She also describes the consciousness-raising, self-educational process by which members learned about Marxist socialism, international liberation movements, and their own bodies, and highlights the TWWA journal Triple Jeopardy, which published hundreds of articles at a time when nonwhite women’s writing had few outlets. Profiles of former members reveal how their early experiences with TWWA led to a lifetime of activism as writers, educators, policy advocates, and mothers fighting for better lives for their children. Throughout, an appealing sense of nostalgia enriches Romney’s argument that these “womanists, internationalists, anti-racist activists, and leftists” made significant contributions to second-wave feminism. This richly documented account rescues a critical chapter in the history of the feminist movement from obscurity. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

"We Were There is part history, part personal reflection, and part biography, written with a passion and immediacy that belies the span of time between the events and the telling. . . . A powerful reminder of what life was like for women—especially women of color—not so long ago, and how far there is to go to reach equality." —Booklist

"This richly documented account rescues a critical chapter in the history of the feminist movement from obscurity." —Publishers Weekly

"Romney’s We Were There… [is] an ever more valuable tool for evaluating structural malaise in a country that does its best to inoculate its inhabitants against the truth.” —Al Jazeera

“Fifty years ago, the Third World Women’s Alliance passionately insisted on interconnections among racism, sexism, and capitalism, inspiring radical analytical frameworks and organizing strategies associated with contemporary conceptions of feminism. We are deeply indebted to Patricia Romney for helping to generate a record of the Alliance’s pioneering contributions and thus for ensuring that their revolutionary legacies live on.” —Angela Y. Davis, author of Freedom Is a Constant Struggle: Ferguson, Palestine, and the Foundations of a Movement

“In the 1970s, with the mimeograph as weapon, and in solidarity with international liberation struggles, US women of color turned to one another, across ethnic and racial divides, to recognize their common cause. We Were There is the ‘origin story’ we’ve been waiting for. Those radical sister foremothers shaped for themselves an utterly prescient (if not always perfect) politic—one to which the tenets of This Bridge Called My Back, ‘Intersectionality,’ and Transnational Feminism remain beholden. Yes, they were there, as Patricia Romney, living witness and researcher, fervently attests. And we are so grateful that they were.” —Cherríe Moraga, co-editor of This Bridge Called My Back: Writings by Radical Women of Color

“In We Were There, Sistah Pat has created a riveting collective memory and critique of the TWWA's radical contributions to our enduring movement for justice and liberation.” —Melanie Tervalon, physician, educator, and activist 

“With a narrative that is both engaging and inspiring, Patricia Romney's We Were There gives us an important insider’s view of the Third World Women’s Alliance and the powerful sisterhood that transformed the lives of so many women. Now more than ever, we need the voices of women of color activists who were fighting against racism, sexism, and classism in the 1970s to speak across generations and share their lessons learned. The struggle continues!” —Beverly Daniel Tatum, author of Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? And Other Conversations About Race 

"We Were There brilliantly makes visible and salient the complex and intersectional stories of the 1970s women's movement that have so often been whitewashed and omitted in many educational contexts. This book is a heartfelt and compassionate scholarly exploration of coalition building, education and activism, centering the work and stories of women of color. Dr. Romney is a gifted storyteller and talented scholar who offers us, as readers, insight and wisdom that helps to better understand contemporary social justice work.” —Marcella Runell Hall, co-editor of UnCommon Bonds: Women Reflect on Race and Friendship

“For those who ‘were there,’ Pat Romney’s book rings true with passion, remembrance, and wisdom. For those who were not there, it is a history lesson rooted in honesty, commitment, and a vision of a more just future. From historical artifacts to interviews and portraits of former members, this book includes broad-based examples of solidarity and inspiring personal and collective stories. We Were There is a call to action about frequently hidden or denied lessons of the past that we would do well to remember today.” —Sonia Nieto, professor emerita, University of Massachusetts, Amherst

From the Publisher

This is an essential and accessible audio production of the Third World Women’s Alliance’s (TWWA) history, written by the activists themselves. From the late 1960s through the 1970s, women of color established chapters of this organization throughout the U.S., organizing and collaborating on social justice projects and civil rights issues. Narrator Jeanette Illidge infuses the women’s first-person perspectives with vitality and care. In doing so, she creates the impression that their memories remain fresh and their passion and experiences are still close to their hearts and part of their post-TWWA endeavors. Illidge's well-paced delivery clearly differentiates between author Patricia Romney’s sections and those of former members. Listeners will come away with a deepened understanding of second-wave feminism and its legacy. J.R.T. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine

MARCH 2022 - AudioFile