Combahee River Collective facts for kids

The Combahee River Collective (/kəmˈbiː/ KƏM-bee) was a group of Black feminist lesbian socialist women. They were active in Boston from 1974 to 1980. This group believed that the white feminist movement and the Civil Rights Movement did not fully understand or address the special needs of Black women, especially Black lesbians. The Collective is famous for writing the Combahee River Collective Statement. This important document helped shape modern Black feminism and the idea of identity politics.

How the Group Started

Author Barbara Smith and other women went to a meeting of the National Black Feminist Organization (NBFO) in New York City in 1973. They wanted to start an NBFO chapter in Boston. This work laid the foundation for the Combahee River Collective. The NBFO itself was formed because Black feminists felt that mainstream white feminist groups did not deal with the racism Black women faced in the United States.

Why the Name "Combahee River Collective"?

Barbara Smith suggested the name for the Collective. She had a book about Harriet Tubman. Smith wanted the group's name to honor an important historical event for Black women. She felt it showed that their work was part of a long history of Black women fighting for their rights.

The name remembers an event called the Raid on Combahee Ferry. This event happened on June 2, 1863, in South Carolina. Harriet Tubman planned and led this action. It freed over 750 enslaved people. This was the only military action in American history planned and led by a woman.

The Combahee River Collective Statement

The Combahee River Collective Statement is a very important document. It was divided into four main parts:

• The Start of Modern Black Feminism
• What We Believe
• Challenges in Organizing Black Feminists
• Black Feminist Goals and Projects

The Start of Modern Black Feminism

This part of the Statement explains the history of Black feminism. It shows how the Combahee River Collective was part of a larger movement. The Collective saw themselves as following in the footsteps of brave activists like Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman, Frances E. W. Harper, Ida B. Wells Barnett, and Mary Church Terrell. They believed modern Black feminism grew from the work of these earlier leaders.

During the second wave of the American feminist movement, Black women formed their own groups, like the National Black Feminist Organization. This happened because mainstream groups did not meet the needs of Black feminists. Also, Black feminists were involved in the Black Liberation movement of the 1960s and 1970s. Their experiences in these movements shaped their ideas and sometimes led to disappointment.

This section also introduced the Collective's idea that Black women face many types of unfairness at once. They argued that Black women experience oppression based on their race, their gender, and their economic class. These different types of oppression are all connected.

What We Believe

This part of the Statement explains their idea of Identity Politics. They believed that Black women had the right to create their own goals. These goals would be based on the real-life challenges they faced because of their race, gender, and class.

We realize that the only people who care enough about us to work consistently for our liberation are us. Our politics evolve from a healthy love for ourselves, our sisters and our community which allows us to continue our struggle and work.

The Collective also believed that to free all oppressed people, systems like capitalism (where profit is the main goal), imperialism (where powerful countries control others), and patriarchy (where men hold most of the power) must be changed. The Combahee River Collective identified as socialists. They thought that work should benefit everyone, not just a few people for profit. They agreed with Karl Marx's ideas about economic relationships.

The Collective did not support lesbian separatism. They felt it would leave out other people who were important to the movement.

They explained that Black women were often left out of both the women's movement and the Black movement. The main point was that you cannot separate race, gender, and class. These are all fundamental parts of a Black woman's life. They believed that "black women are inherently valuable."

The Combahee River Collective noted that Black women are often looked down upon. Many people wrongly thought Black women just wanted more power. However, Black women simply wanted to be included and treated fairly. All Black feminists shared the idea that Black women are important. They believed that Black women's freedom was necessary. They also believed Black women should have equal value and recognition. The goal of their anti-discrimination movement was inclusion, not separation. This was the only way Black women could truly fight and end oppression. It was a very hard journey for Black women, even though their desires were simple: to be accepted and included. Black women did not want special rights. They just wanted to be accepted and recognized as equal to all other humans and citizens.

Challenges in Organizing Black Feminists

This section of the Statement talked about the difficulties in organizing Black feminists. The Collective believed it was hard because they were fighting against many types of oppression at once, not just one. They also felt that because they were Black lesbian women, they did not have the advantages that come with being white, heterosexual, or from a higher class.

The Collective also felt the emotional burden of their fight differently. This was because society often did not value the mental well-being of Black women. They saw themselves at the very bottom of society's hierarchy. Because of this, the Collective wrote that "if Black women were free, it would mean that everyone else would have to be free since our freedom would necessitate the destruction of all the systems of oppression." This idea connected to their belief that freeing all people would happen when capitalism, imperialism, and patriarchy were destroyed.

The Collective's focus on freeing Black women sometimes led to negative reactions from Black men. The Collective believed that Black men felt "they might also be forced to change their habitually sexist ways of interacting with and oppressing Black women." This reaction made it harder to organize Black feminists.

Black Feminist Goals and Projects

The final part of the Statement showed that the Collective was dedicated to improving the lives of all women, people from the "third world," and working-class people. The Collective stated, "We are of course particularly committed to working on those struggles in which race, sex, and class are simultaneous factors in oppression." This section explained how this idea could be applied in many ways around the world.

This part also detailed how the Collective began to speak out about racism within the white women's movement. The Collective believed that white women in the feminist movement had not done enough to fight or understand their own racism. Also, the Collective felt these women needed "a more than superficial comprehension of race, color, and Black history and culture." While the Collective knew this work was the responsibility of white women, they would hold these white women accountable.

Impact of the Statement

The Combahee River Collective Statement is called "among the most compelling documents produced by Black feminists."

While the Collective did not invent the term intersectionality, they were among the first to recognize that different systems of oppression work together and strengthen each other. They developed a way of thinking that saw a "simultaneity of oppressions." This meant they refused to rank oppressions based on race, class, or gender.

Why Black Women's Freedom Matters

The Combahee River Collective strongly believed that "Black women are inherently valuable." They felt that Black women's freedom was a necessity for themselves, not just as an addition to someone else's freedom. They were especially committed to working on issues where race, gender, and class all played a part in oppression. The Collective aimed to "build a politics that will change our lives and inevitably end our oppression."

The Importance of Black Feminism

Black feminism is a movement that focuses on Black women and their rights. It states, "Black women are inherently valuable, that [Black women's] liberation is a necessity not as an adjunct to somebody else's but because our need as human persons for autonomy."

Often, when the feminist movement fights for rights, it mainly focuses on white, upper-class women. It does not always include different races, ethnicities, or economic backgrounds. So, when feminist groups fight for better treatment, they are often fighting for the better treatment of white women.

The Black feminist movement is important because it addresses the unfair treatment and discrimination that Black women face. They are discriminated against not just because they are Black or because they are women, but because of the combination of both. Their experiences are unique. Other feminist movements might not address their specific problems. The Black feminist movement is also very important because it gives Black women support. It provides a group that fights directly for them. In the past, Black feminists played a big role in the Civil Rights Movement. In more recent years, they have been important in the Black Lives Matter movement. Even though these movements make great progress for Black people, the problems of Black women can sometimes be overlooked. For this reason, the Black feminist movement is equally important and should be seen that way.

The End of the Collective

The Collective held their last meeting in February 1980. They officially ended sometime that year.

Members of the Collective

The Combahee Collective had many members who joined and left over time. Some of the people who were part of the Collective include:

See also

In Spanish: Combahee River Collective para niños