How We Get Free: Black Feminism and the Combahee River Collective

As a citizen-learner envisioning, advocating and working for a more humane and democratic society, one grounded in love and respect for humanity, I found How We Get Free deep, rich and absorbing. Both the Combahee River Collective and Keeyanga-Yahmahtta Taylor inspire this reader and offer much to ponder about the unfolding struggle. I especially like how this is a documentary work that both reminds us of lessons learned and other lessons missed in the past and asks us to do something crucial with our history: learn from it. I could go on.But I want to talk about How We Get Free from a teacher's standpoint. I assigned it this semester in my university seminar, "Writing American Politics." I almost assigned it to my other seminar, "Documenting Black Experiences," where it would fit nicely, but I needed it to balance other readings (Robert Penn Warren, All the King's Men, Dan T. Carter, Politics of Rage: George Wallace and the Transformation of American Politics) in "Writing American Politics," and I did not want the reading lists to overlap too much. How We Got Free is an excellent teaching book. First, it is short and a brisk, absorbing, serious read. Beyond that, Taylor generously offers us her deep engagement--and an almost irresistible opportunity to make undertake our own plunge--with this Black feminist manifesto born of the late 1960s and early 1970s, which also speaks to many of our current predicaments. Her transcribed and edited interviews introduce us to particularly thoughtful voices from founders of the Combahee River Collective and Black Lives Matter. The willingness of these movements to confront not only white supremacy but homophobic and heteronormative politics is inspiring and instructive. My students enjoying this vista on an earlier generation of Black women's lives and struggles and the thoughtful way that Taylor as both editor and essayist connects that generation with their own generation. Any professor paying attention in the classroom knows that students want to be able to connect historical events to their own generation's wrestling with the world around them. This really worked for my students of all hues, cultures, world views and gender expressions, producing excellent discussions that continued to resonate as we went forward into other conversations.

I am a straight white male, so my views on this book may be biased, however, I found How We Get Free to be a powerful, thoughtful and thought-provoking book on Black Feminism. The book brought back the heady days in the '70s , when almost anything seemed possible, both positive and negative. Having lived through those years I was inevitably confronted by the challenges Feminism posed for men, however, I had no idea that such a thing as Black Feminism existed, though I was quite familiar with Black culture.Most of the book consists of interviews with 3 founders of the Combahee River Collective (and authors of its Statement). Taylor is very good at drawing out her subjects, and letting them speak for an extended period before moving on to another question. She is also good at allowing them to speak in their own voices, without trying to "clean up" some of their stop-and-go syntax or odd word choices. I found this a little disconcerting at first, but it added an interesting dimension to the book.The subjects of her interviews were all very blunt and occasionally sarcastic in their speech. It gradually became clear to me that this was due to both the nature of the topic, and to the comfort they felt talking with Keeanga Taylor. It is clear the three women who were members of the Collective were deeply focused on an economic as well as social analysis of the role and position of Black women in America, and their interviews formed the backbone of the book, for me. Another interesting and revealing feature was its strong critique of the White feminist movement, and why the CRC broke away from that movement. Equally revealing was How We Got Free's commentary on the powerful tension between Black men and Black women, especially Black Feminists.The CRC's Statement came early in the book, and for this reason, I found the Statement difficult to follow, and even more difficult to grasp its importance. After reading the rest of the book, I re-read the Statement, and I recommend this for everyone who is not familiar with the Combahee River Collective and its work.I found this an inspiring book, one from which I learned a great deal. It is worth reading by anyone interested in the anti-racism and anti-sexism movements in the United States.

The realness of this book takes my life to new heights. It is so rich with historical references and truth. The author has a way of painting a picture about the CRC statement and its connection to all the points and historical moments leading to this present movement. I'm overjoyed to have chosen this book, to be inspired, and to continue to push towards the aims of the CRC statement and vision of many of the contributors of the book. A brilliant and quick read.

The information remains relevant today. It is a great reminder that we stand on the shoulders of greatness. There is nothing new under the sun so new groups need to pay homage to those before them.

Excellent book. Adopted for my class

Getting an opportunity to learn from Black Feminist radicals of the 20th century was a treat in itself. Taylor expertly curates a lovely set of conversations on both the history and future of black liberation struggles.

The book came quickly and it’s a really short read

Brilliant and timely in both its new analysis and the rescuing of a pivotal document. A must read for anyone who wants to understand the world we’re in now and especially for those looking to change it.

but i was concerned by the lack of accessibility of this book. it reads a little too much when you go to someone else's family dinner and everybody but you already knows all the stories and the people involved. probably great if you know lots about this topic but i found it so hard to access and do any learning really. respect for this book though also i'm not knocking it i'm just saying you might need to have quite a lot of knowledge before hitting this one.