Black women matter

[corpsebrid3]

I couldn't find a thread on this in Feminism chat and wanted to set this up to ask and share issues related to black women.

Which resources do you find useful to learn about black feminism?

Hope it’s not too frivolous but booksarebrainfood on Instagram has some great resources.

I’ve definitely added to my list of books I want to read (both fiction and non-fiction) from black women.

Thanks I'll take a look. I do think black women from an African heritage face particular discrimination and hate that is very different to my own understanding as a POC (mixed background).

Placemarking for some good suggestions.

Also place marking.

(There have been some good suggestions for general reading on some of the current threads on George Floyd and the US protests - e.g. "Why I'm no Longer talking to White People about Race," but none I think specifically geared to the intersection of feminism and racism.)

There isn't much out there (which is a huge issue in itself), but healthcare is an important one; namely maternity services. Statistics for stillborn or the death of the mother during pregnancy and childbirth are disproportionately higher than for others. Only ancedotally so I obviously can't speak on behalf of all midwives, but my friend had to constantly ask during training, placements, and now at work for how to identify certain conditions in black women (some indicators are visible in Caucasian skin for example, but not others, yet other ways of diagnosing aren't taught or acknowledged), this should be taught as standard. And partly because as a woman and because of your skin colour that's a double whammy for not being listened to or taken seriously.

This BBC article explains it well as a starting point:

www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/uk-england-47115305

Claire Heuchen is an excellent read.
sisteroutrider.wordpress.com/about/

Ayan Hirsi Ali has written several excellent books, 'Nomad' and 'Infidel' are well worth a read.

Mona Eltahawy's 'Headscarves and Hymns. Why the Middle East needs a Sexual Revolution' is also,...at the risk of repetition,...excellent too.

I loved Pragna Patel's opening speech at the WPUK conference and follow the work/campaigns of Southall Black Sisters.

Inquest.org.uk are really worth looking at for their campaign work around state violence, race & deaths in custody. Information about different families campaigns and Grenfell.

I mentioned this on another thread but Red Table Talk with Jada Pinkett Smith is on Facebook and brilliant. The episodes are really insightful and worth watching

'Are Prisons Obsolete?' by Angela Davis is a must-read, as is 'Women, Race & Class' (also by Davis).

I really love the work of Mariame Kaba – this interview is a good place to 'meet' her for the first time I think: adimagazine.com/articles/mariame-kaba-everything-worthwhile-is-done-with-other-people/ and this is a brilliant essay by her: thenewinquiry.com/summer-heat/

• 'Invisible No More: Police Violence Against Black Women & Women of Colour' (invisiblenomorebook.com/the-book/) by Andrea Ritchie is brilliant.

Oh and I just finished 'Feminism, Interrupted: Disrupting Power' by Lola Olufemi and I really really recommend that too!

The Lipstickalley Womanist forum www.lipstickalley.com/forums/the-lsa-womanist-feminist-forum.446/

I think there's quite a difference between the feminism that is part of a trend to write about it as a theory, even when based on personal experience and the work that Black Women who form groups choose, or feel compelled to do.

If you check out Imkaan's web site you will see a list of groups providing support to BAME women www.imkaan.org.uk/get-help

FORWARD is a well established African Women's organisation www.forwarduk.org.uk/

And some Black Women's groups dont necessarily align with feminist groups but with Black Liberation movement.

Does anyone have any recommendations on books / programmes / films that cover the subject suitable for teens?

Oh and I just finished 'Feminism, Interrupted: Disrupting Power' by Lola Olufemi and I really really recommend that too

Lola Olufemi was responsible for Selina Todd being disinvited from speaking at a "Women's Liberation at 50" event.

Lola Olufemi was responsible for Selina Todd being disinvited from speaking at a "Women's Liberation at 50" event.

Indeed. Thanks for the reminder, Dido.

RedHoodGirl, Angie Thomas wrote bestsellers 'The Hate U Give' & 'On the Come Up' for young adults, with 16 year old lead characters. Here's an interview with Thomas that has other links you may want to follow up.

www.theguardian.com/books/2019/jan/27/angie-thomas-the-hate-u-give-interview-famous-fans-readers

From previous Guardian books link. One of the author's of 'Slay in Your Lane. The Black Girl Bible'

www.theguardian.com/books/2018/jun/24/black-girl-woman-bible-elizabeth-uviebinene-yomi-adegoke-slay-your-lane

Bloody hell, 'Slay in Your Lane.The Black Girl Bible' is currently £2.99 on Kindle (sorry it's Amazon). Sounds a real interesting read from the write ups & perfect for this thread.

@corpsebrid3

Thanks I'll take a look. I do think black women from an African heritage face particular discrimination and hate that is very different to my own understanding as a POC (mixed background).

Absolutely, African women are at the absolute bottom of the pile. Not only because they are paid less, underemployed and receive worse medical treatment. But also because they are at the bottom of the pile we now have a trend where a significant enough number of men will not date African woman due to their status being lower than other women.

It also varies vastly in the UK and the US, but they’re still right down there at the bottom. Sadly there was a baby name thread on MN fairly recently and people were openly taking the piss out of traditional African American girls names because they have the luxury of being valued more than African women so they feel powerful belittling others.

'The Heart of the Race: Black Women's Lives in Britain' (Feminist Classics) by Beverley Bryan, Stella Dadzie and Suzanne Scafe.

There have been some good suggestions for general reading on some of the current threads on George Floyd and the US protests - e.g. "Why I'm no Longer talking to White People about Race," but none I think specifically geared to the intersection of feminism and racism.

'Why I'm No Longer Talking To White People About Race' covers the intersection of feminism & racism FYI! and it's really good.

My last suggestion is 'To Exist is to Resist: Black Feminism in Europe', edited by Akwugo Emejulu & Francesca Sobande

Anything by Audre Lorde is a must read.

'So you Want to talk about Race?' by Ijeoma Oluwa is a great contemporary read which talks a lot about feminism and racism.

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie writes and talks a lot about feminism. She has two great non fiction books specifically about feminism but also her fiction books. Purple Hibiscus is great for teenage readers.

The play Girls by Teresa Ikoko is also excellent. It's about 3 Nigerian girls kidnapped by Boko Haram.

Thanks for this thread. I teach mainly black African students (girls school) and I am always looking for more resources. They so desperately want to talk about their experiences as British and African young women but when they try to they are often shot down. The book White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo helped me make sense of what was happening when the school went into meltdown over some poetry the girls wrote and performed about their experiences.

Thanks for the recommendations.

Years ago I did a lot a lot of work on obstetric risk and ethnicity. I published and presented, along with a lot of other people, at women's health events.
It takes so long for research to filter through into current guidelines and practice. You have to keep on and on. Getting funding is an uphill struggle. Especially if you are female (ironic).

when the school went into meltdown over some poetry the girls wrote and performed about their experiences.

What was their issue with it?

Just to add to talking about the groups that reflect Black feminism at the front line it would be remiss not to mention Million Women Rise.

And although no wanting to do one of those who is more oppressed than anyone else, the group that is really mentioned as as the recent Health England Report has highlighted is women in the Bangladeshi community.

There used to be much more cross over between the front line work of Black led women's groups, and Black Women's feminist theory and analysis eg Outwrite and Mukti (have just seen this paper centaur.reading.ac.uk/69476/1/Thomlinson%20Black%20women%2527s%20periodicals.pdf )

This is something a bit different, South Asian Woemn's Creative Collection www.sawcc.org/about/ who have been active in putting on events, but looks like the lockdown has cut back on that.