Davis shows readers how the inequalities between Black and white women influence the contemporary issues of rape, reproductive freedom, housework and child care in this bold and indispensable work. Here, Davis not only contextualizes the legacy and pitfalls of civil and women’s rights activists, but also discusses Communist women, the murder of Emmitt Till, and Margaret Sanger’s racism.

While Black women were aided by some activists like Sarah and Angelina Grimke and the suffrage cause found unwavering support in Frederick Douglass, many women played on the fears of white supremacists for political gain rather than take an intersectional approach to liberation. She should be heard.”- The New York TimesĪngela Davis provides a powerful history of the social and political influence of whiteness and elitism in feminism, from abolitionist days to the present, and demonstrates how the racist and classist biases of its leaders inevitably hampered any collective ambitions. Davis published Women, Race & Class in 1981, inspired both by her time in jail and Little’s case, as well as by her work championing the cases of other unfairly incarcerated Black women. “Angela Davis is herself a woman of undeniable courage. 12K likes, 179 comments - Matt McGorry (mattmcgorry) on Instagram: Women, Race, & Class by Angela Davis (Trigger Warning for book pages- gender-based. Women, Race and Class (1981) authored by Angela Davis is a collection of 13 essays that chart the history of the struggle for equal rights for women, specifically Black women and working-class women in America. From one of our most important scholars and civil rights activist icon, a powerful study of the women’s liberation movement and the tangled knot of oppression facing Black women.

Angela davis race gender and class