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Florynce "Flo" Kennedy: The Life of a Black Feminist Radical
Often photographed in a cowboy hat with her middle finger held defiantly in the air, Florynce "Flo" Kennedy (1916–2000) left a vibrant legacy as a leader of the Black Power and feminist movements. In the first biography of Kennedy, Sherie M. Randolph traces the life and political influence of this strikingly bold and controversial radical activist. Rather than simply reacting to the predominantly white feminist movement, Kennedy brought the lessons of Black Power to white feminism and built bridges in the struggles against racism and sexism. Randolph narrates Kennedy’s progressive upbringing, her pathbreaking graduation from Columbia Law School, and her long career as a media-savvy activist, showing how Kennedy rose to founding roles in organizations such as the National Black Feminist Organization and the National Organization for Women, allying herself with both white and black activists such as Adam Clayton Powell, H. Rap Brown, Betty Friedan, and Shirley Chisholm.
Making use of an extensive and previously uncollected archive, Randolph demonstrates profound connections within the histories of the new left, civil rights, Black Power, and feminism, showing that black feminism was pivotal in shaping postwar U.S. liberation movements.
Making use of an extensive and previously uncollected archive, Randolph demonstrates profound connections within the histories of the new left, civil rights, Black Power, and feminism, showing that black feminism was pivotal in shaping postwar U.S. liberation movements.
313 pages, Hardcover
First published September 28, 2015
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1932 people want to read
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September 21, 2015
Florynce "Flo" Kennedy: The Life of a Black, Feminist Radical was a mixed bag for me. I remember seeing Ms Kennedy at several conferences. I was very young, about 16-20 but never forgot her smarts, her energy, her humor and style. I devoured her words and wanted to be like her so I was surprised this book was tedious and frankly boring, at times, to read.
One one hand, I learned so much about Ms Kennedy and her radical vision for change and appreciated getting to understand more about her politics on a deeper level. Coming from a family that respected her intelligence, who was keenly aware of how oppression impacted , her father especially made it clear that his family should not "take shit" from anybody. Ms. Kennedy lived up to her father's dictum and in her own iconoclastic fashion went about organizing, educating, forming cross-cultural/race coalitions to turn oppressive institutions upside down and inside out. Ms Kennedy was one of the first leaders to name and understand what we now call "intersectionality and she was the beating heart of organizing so many actions, cross-race coalitions, organizations and critical events. She was there when it counted and I especially respected how she mentored young women and trusted that they were key players in ensuring that new ideas and new ways of organizing took hold.
However, this book is so poorly edited that I wanted to put it down half-way through it. There are literally passages, verbatim, that are used two or three times in different chapters. The repetitiveness of the concepts, the constant reminders about what she believed or how she organized was annoying and redundant. Given how engaging Ms Kennedy was and how she trusted people to be smart and sharp I wish that the author/editor could have done the same.
I want to give book 1 or 2 stars for the writing/editing but do not want readers to miss the opportunity to read about one of the foremothers of Black feminism so I am giving it three stars.
Thank you Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to review this book for an honest opinion.
One one hand, I learned so much about Ms Kennedy and her radical vision for change and appreciated getting to understand more about her politics on a deeper level. Coming from a family that respected her intelligence, who was keenly aware of how oppression impacted , her father especially made it clear that his family should not "take shit" from anybody. Ms. Kennedy lived up to her father's dictum and in her own iconoclastic fashion went about organizing, educating, forming cross-cultural/race coalitions to turn oppressive institutions upside down and inside out. Ms Kennedy was one of the first leaders to name and understand what we now call "intersectionality and she was the beating heart of organizing so many actions, cross-race coalitions, organizations and critical events. She was there when it counted and I especially respected how she mentored young women and trusted that they were key players in ensuring that new ideas and new ways of organizing took hold.
However, this book is so poorly edited that I wanted to put it down half-way through it. There are literally passages, verbatim, that are used two or three times in different chapters. The repetitiveness of the concepts, the constant reminders about what she believed or how she organized was annoying and redundant. Given how engaging Ms Kennedy was and how she trusted people to be smart and sharp I wish that the author/editor could have done the same.
I want to give book 1 or 2 stars for the writing/editing but do not want readers to miss the opportunity to read about one of the foremothers of Black feminism so I am giving it three stars.
Thank you Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to review this book for an honest opinion.
August 19, 2020
"In 1976, at the age of sixty, black feminist radical Florynce "Flo" Kennedy stood at a podium in front of college students wearing her signature uniform--a cowboy hat and a T-shirt that read 'Year of the Woman!,' her fingernails painted bright red--bellowing numerous curse words to punctuate her point that for all oppressed people, power rested in their ability to protest individually, collectively, and in inclusive coalitions. 'My main message is that we have a pathologically, institutionally racist, sexist, classist society. And that niggerizing techniques that are used don't only damage black people, but they also damage women, gay people, ex-prison inmates, prostitutes, children, old people, handicapped people, Native Americans. And that if we can begin to analyze the pathology of oppression...we would learn a lot about how to deal with it.' Kennedy understood that despite the various institutionalized forms of 'racist, sexist, classist,' and imperialist oppression they suffered, they were ultimately more powerful than the forces aligned against them. If larger and larger numbers of people realized that their exploitation was inextricably linked, she reasoned, they would eventually engage in the radical process of revolutionary change by creating broad-based political alliances. Through an activist career spanning more than fifty years, Kennedy targeted the interconnections among racism, sexism, homophobia, ableism, and various other forms of oppression" (1).
"She was a bridge builder within these movements, demanding that the women's movement partner squarely with Black Power and continue to participate in anti-war struggles. Kennedy welcomed the prospect that women could unite to end sexism. It never occorred to her, however, that a women's movement would not also fight against racism and imperialism. These battles, for Kennedy, were profoundly interconnected; she later declared that for the Black Power and women's movements, 'the enemies are the same.' To Kennedy's way of thinking, the two movements were logical allies that should work in coalition and avoid what she termed 'horizontal hostility'" (101).
"Later, she suggested that others utilize the strategy of offering ideas even when they knew they would be scorned or dismissed. 'The idea is just not to sit still in the boat. But, rock it ... make your feelings known'" (114).
"Flo thought that whites who had had little direct contact with black people needed to understand the depths of the injuries that had been done to black women and men and the power of their anger. 'What [white] people don't want to admit,' she explained, 'is that they are receivers of stolen property and being receivers of stolen property they should not be surprised that they are not loved.' Moreover she argued that whites should realize that black people could decide whether and where whites were allowed in black-controlled spaces, rather than only vice versa, as was the ase under segregation" (118).
"Like other black radicals such as Ella Baker and W.E.B. Du Bois, Kennedy reasoned that racism affected every major social problem in the United States, especially the oppression of women. By 1967 Kennedy was using the term 'niggerizing' as a synonym for oppression, a rhetorical strategy intended to force others to understand how the racist techniques developed against blacks could be deployed against all oppressed people" (119).
"While Kennedy privileged black movements and emphasized racial oppression, she stressed that it was still necessary to challenge all forms of oppression because, as she later put it, they all 'hurt like crazy.' In her opinion the only way to overthrow a particular form of exploitation successfully and permanently was to conquer all forms of exploitation" (119).
Of the Colgate Palmolive boycott and picket: "Some members feared that the picket and boycott were too extreme and that they might be arrested or even shot. Kennedy helped to assuage their fears by describing how picketing could be an 'exciting' way to challenge discrimination against women [...] 'I can't understand why a person would rather go on a ski slope than a picket line because I think a picket line just happens to be more fun, and the fact that it is politically astute is just a bonus'. She also understood that 'the best way to recruit is to be having fun...[Other] people like to be dreary. I try to be as undreary as I can be'. Moreover, Kennedy hoped to make fighting for justice irresistibly pleasurable to organizers by emphasizing every moment of joy and humor that could be found in working together and defying an enemy" (153).
"Kennedy's example shows how humor is closely tied to charismatic leadership.It should come as no surprise that some of the most alluring and charismatic leaders of the twentieth century--Malcolm X, Stokeley Carmichael, and Adam Clayton Powell, Jr.--knew how to deliver a punch line" (155).
"Kennedy encouraged white women students to create an alliance with people of color and to seize political power in their college towns and cities. She wanted students to understand their power not only within but also beyond their campus. 'Run for office,' she would yell; 'do anything to get the needs known. Let's not let this country fall apart under us.' Kennedy reminded radical students who tended to think of the nation-state as the enemy and therefore scorned the idea of running for political office that the welfare of masses of people like them and those they cared about depended on changing public policy. Understanding the relationship between power and resistance in the United States, Kennedy argued that oppressed people and especially all women 'have at least three kinds of power. Dollar power, to boycott with; vote power, to take over structures with, and maybe even get somebody elected; and body power, to get out and support our friends and make a damned nuisance of ourselves with everybody else" (188).
Of Shirley Chisholm's campaign for president "Indeed, the campaign made a place for a black feminist message in the national political dialogue. Later, commenting on similar feminist goals that at the outset seemed impossible to achieve, Kennedy explained, 'I don't care whether we lose or win. The struggle is what's important" (203).
"I keep thinking of Flo Kennedy saying about her testicular reach, that if anything is near enough to reach you, then you are just as near to it" (219).
"Her experience as a lawyer, however, had taught her that focusing on the law was a slow, 'one-ass-at-a-time proposition' with limited opportunities for making significant gains when 'what we have to do is stop the wringer'. Kennedy had found that for most black people, the poor, and women, the courts were the last place to seek justice. 'The practice of law in this system has nothing to do with justice! ... If there's a case where the Establishment has an interest, forget it.' IN organizing street theater actions and creating numerous organizations, Kennedy moved beyond the courts to challenge discrimination and affirm a black feminist praxis" (224).
"She was a bridge builder within these movements, demanding that the women's movement partner squarely with Black Power and continue to participate in anti-war struggles. Kennedy welcomed the prospect that women could unite to end sexism. It never occorred to her, however, that a women's movement would not also fight against racism and imperialism. These battles, for Kennedy, were profoundly interconnected; she later declared that for the Black Power and women's movements, 'the enemies are the same.' To Kennedy's way of thinking, the two movements were logical allies that should work in coalition and avoid what she termed 'horizontal hostility'" (101).
"Later, she suggested that others utilize the strategy of offering ideas even when they knew they would be scorned or dismissed. 'The idea is just not to sit still in the boat. But, rock it ... make your feelings known'" (114).
"Flo thought that whites who had had little direct contact with black people needed to understand the depths of the injuries that had been done to black women and men and the power of their anger. 'What [white] people don't want to admit,' she explained, 'is that they are receivers of stolen property and being receivers of stolen property they should not be surprised that they are not loved.' Moreover she argued that whites should realize that black people could decide whether and where whites were allowed in black-controlled spaces, rather than only vice versa, as was the ase under segregation" (118).
"Like other black radicals such as Ella Baker and W.E.B. Du Bois, Kennedy reasoned that racism affected every major social problem in the United States, especially the oppression of women. By 1967 Kennedy was using the term 'niggerizing' as a synonym for oppression, a rhetorical strategy intended to force others to understand how the racist techniques developed against blacks could be deployed against all oppressed people" (119).
"While Kennedy privileged black movements and emphasized racial oppression, she stressed that it was still necessary to challenge all forms of oppression because, as she later put it, they all 'hurt like crazy.' In her opinion the only way to overthrow a particular form of exploitation successfully and permanently was to conquer all forms of exploitation" (119).
Of the Colgate Palmolive boycott and picket: "Some members feared that the picket and boycott were too extreme and that they might be arrested or even shot. Kennedy helped to assuage their fears by describing how picketing could be an 'exciting' way to challenge discrimination against women [...] 'I can't understand why a person would rather go on a ski slope than a picket line because I think a picket line just happens to be more fun, and the fact that it is politically astute is just a bonus'. She also understood that 'the best way to recruit is to be having fun...[Other] people like to be dreary. I try to be as undreary as I can be'. Moreover, Kennedy hoped to make fighting for justice irresistibly pleasurable to organizers by emphasizing every moment of joy and humor that could be found in working together and defying an enemy" (153).
"Kennedy's example shows how humor is closely tied to charismatic leadership.It should come as no surprise that some of the most alluring and charismatic leaders of the twentieth century--Malcolm X, Stokeley Carmichael, and Adam Clayton Powell, Jr.--knew how to deliver a punch line" (155).
"Kennedy encouraged white women students to create an alliance with people of color and to seize political power in their college towns and cities. She wanted students to understand their power not only within but also beyond their campus. 'Run for office,' she would yell; 'do anything to get the needs known. Let's not let this country fall apart under us.' Kennedy reminded radical students who tended to think of the nation-state as the enemy and therefore scorned the idea of running for political office that the welfare of masses of people like them and those they cared about depended on changing public policy. Understanding the relationship between power and resistance in the United States, Kennedy argued that oppressed people and especially all women 'have at least three kinds of power. Dollar power, to boycott with; vote power, to take over structures with, and maybe even get somebody elected; and body power, to get out and support our friends and make a damned nuisance of ourselves with everybody else" (188).
Of Shirley Chisholm's campaign for president "Indeed, the campaign made a place for a black feminist message in the national political dialogue. Later, commenting on similar feminist goals that at the outset seemed impossible to achieve, Kennedy explained, 'I don't care whether we lose or win. The struggle is what's important" (203).
"I keep thinking of Flo Kennedy saying about her testicular reach, that if anything is near enough to reach you, then you are just as near to it" (219).
"Her experience as a lawyer, however, had taught her that focusing on the law was a slow, 'one-ass-at-a-time proposition' with limited opportunities for making significant gains when 'what we have to do is stop the wringer'. Kennedy had found that for most black people, the poor, and women, the courts were the last place to seek justice. 'The practice of law in this system has nothing to do with justice! ... If there's a case where the Establishment has an interest, forget it.' IN organizing street theater actions and creating numerous organizations, Kennedy moved beyond the courts to challenge discrimination and affirm a black feminist praxis" (224).
November 11, 2018
Flo Kennedy was a force to be reckoned with, dismissed by a portion of mainstream Caucasian America as a kook, yet far too clever, too cagey, and too damn smart to be wished away by those that wanted to defend the racist, sexist status quo. When I saw that a memoir of her life was up for grabs at Net Galley I requested a copy immediately, and then took a long time to finish reading it. Part of my tardiness is a stubborn dislike for the PDF format, and so I apologize to University of North Carolina Press and my readers for being so slow; yet a small part of it was the surprisingly dry quality of the memoir. Given the subject, I had expected this biography to set my hair on fire.
Though she was new to Randolph, according to the introduction, Kennedy was no stranger to those of us in the Boomer generation. Her audacity, her wit, and her raw courage that at times bordered on recklessness made for great theater and fascinating press coverage. Raised by parents that taught her not “to take any shit” long before the Black Power movement or even the end of Jim Crow, Kennedy pushed the margins. She studied, worked, and fought her way into Columbia Law; she defended famous individuals like Billie Holliday and Stokely Carmichael, and she did it with style.
By far the most significant part of her legacy was the leadership she demonstrated in bringing together the women’s movement of the late 1960’s and 1970’s with the Black Power movement. As a young woman sending out my own tendrils into the larger world apart from high school and my parents’ home, some of the most influential feminist speeches given were by Kennedy and Gloria Steinem, and sometimes they appeared together. I never got to see them in person, but it didn’t matter that much, because I knew what they had written and what they had said, and soon I was attending meetings of NOW, the National Organization for Women, which was the leading women’s rights organization in the US before its split over women in the military later in the 20th century. Because of women like Kennedy and Steinem, I fundraised my fare to national marches on the Capitol for women’s right to choose whether to reproduce, and I fought for the Equal Rights Amendment.
So I owe Kennedy a great deal.
Kennedy’s confidence and controlled rage positively crackled; she made headlines and was often seen on the evening news. Once when I told a classmate that I wanted to support a female candidate for president of the US, he told me that if I was going to vote for a protest candidate, I should shoot for the moon and vote for Flo Kennedy.
He had a point.
I don’t agree with everything Kennedy said or did, particularly her suggestion that rather than expending great effort to end the US war against the Vietnamese people, Americans should focus their energy toward supporting Black owned businesses. Say what? But nearly everything else she did was so vastly ahead of her time that it made me gasp in awe.
I understand that a memoir produced by a university press is generally going to be scholarly in nature, and that’s one reason I request works like this that are associated with such reputable sources. But a scholarly treatment doesn’t have to drone. By arranging a few of Kennedy’s livelier quotes up front and at chapter beginnings and endings, she might receive the treatment she deserves, instead of being consigned to the dustbin of history a mere decade, give or take a year, after she wore a tee shirt reading “I had an abortion” during her most senior years.
So although I know Randolph is new to Kennedy and probably also has some academic parameters within which she has to work, I still feel that Flo’s memoir should reflect her verve and character to a greater degree.
Nevertheless reader, if you care about women’s rights and the rights of African-Americans, if women’s history and African-American history hold meaning and importance for you, I think you should read this memoir anyway, because as of this writing, it’s really the only memoir of Kennedy that’s available. You can find some of her speeches in feminist collections, but no one else has tackled this woman’s life, and so until and unless something better comes along, you should get this and read it. Because a dry, somewhat conservative treatment of Kennedy is better than nothing.
Though she was new to Randolph, according to the introduction, Kennedy was no stranger to those of us in the Boomer generation. Her audacity, her wit, and her raw courage that at times bordered on recklessness made for great theater and fascinating press coverage. Raised by parents that taught her not “to take any shit” long before the Black Power movement or even the end of Jim Crow, Kennedy pushed the margins. She studied, worked, and fought her way into Columbia Law; she defended famous individuals like Billie Holliday and Stokely Carmichael, and she did it with style.
By far the most significant part of her legacy was the leadership she demonstrated in bringing together the women’s movement of the late 1960’s and 1970’s with the Black Power movement. As a young woman sending out my own tendrils into the larger world apart from high school and my parents’ home, some of the most influential feminist speeches given were by Kennedy and Gloria Steinem, and sometimes they appeared together. I never got to see them in person, but it didn’t matter that much, because I knew what they had written and what they had said, and soon I was attending meetings of NOW, the National Organization for Women, which was the leading women’s rights organization in the US before its split over women in the military later in the 20th century. Because of women like Kennedy and Steinem, I fundraised my fare to national marches on the Capitol for women’s right to choose whether to reproduce, and I fought for the Equal Rights Amendment.
So I owe Kennedy a great deal.
Kennedy’s confidence and controlled rage positively crackled; she made headlines and was often seen on the evening news. Once when I told a classmate that I wanted to support a female candidate for president of the US, he told me that if I was going to vote for a protest candidate, I should shoot for the moon and vote for Flo Kennedy.
He had a point.
I don’t agree with everything Kennedy said or did, particularly her suggestion that rather than expending great effort to end the US war against the Vietnamese people, Americans should focus their energy toward supporting Black owned businesses. Say what? But nearly everything else she did was so vastly ahead of her time that it made me gasp in awe.
I understand that a memoir produced by a university press is generally going to be scholarly in nature, and that’s one reason I request works like this that are associated with such reputable sources. But a scholarly treatment doesn’t have to drone. By arranging a few of Kennedy’s livelier quotes up front and at chapter beginnings and endings, she might receive the treatment she deserves, instead of being consigned to the dustbin of history a mere decade, give or take a year, after she wore a tee shirt reading “I had an abortion” during her most senior years.
So although I know Randolph is new to Kennedy and probably also has some academic parameters within which she has to work, I still feel that Flo’s memoir should reflect her verve and character to a greater degree.
Nevertheless reader, if you care about women’s rights and the rights of African-Americans, if women’s history and African-American history hold meaning and importance for you, I think you should read this memoir anyway, because as of this writing, it’s really the only memoir of Kennedy that’s available. You can find some of her speeches in feminist collections, but no one else has tackled this woman’s life, and so until and unless something better comes along, you should get this and read it. Because a dry, somewhat conservative treatment of Kennedy is better than nothing.
July 11, 2018
There is the real Flo Kennedy who was a brilliant, colorful, cedgy, indefatiguable feminist organizer who, working alongside key white feminists Steinem and Freidan back in the day, played a key role in the laying the bedrock for the late 20th century black feminist movement. What a provocative story there must be about Kennedy's very real personal and professional challenges and achievements. And then there are biographies about Flo Kennedy like this one written by academics who, while probably fine scholars and writers of academic prose, lack the courage, talent, expertise to be able write for an audience of more than 2. This book is a dissertation posing as a trade book. NOT. Dull. Uninspiring. Unreflective. Tedious. Pedantic. A first draft. It's a start though (which is why I gave it 3 starts instead of 2.) Hopefully the next biography about Flo Kennedy will be rise to occasion and offer readers a deeply thoughtful, probing, engaging look into Kennedy's complex life and work.
February 18, 2022
Florynce "Flo" Kennedy: The Life of a Black Feminist Radical was an interesting and incredibly informative read. Randolph focuses primarily on Kennedy's political and ideological views over the course of her life. The large -- yet often overlooked -- impact that Kennedy made on numerous organizations was well illustrated throughout the book. I would've loved a little more biographical information on Kennedy, even if it was separated from the main structure of the book, as not many of these details were provided. Overall, Florynce "Flo" Kennedy was a well-written read that I really enjoyed.
October 24, 2017
IQ "Although Kennedy wore the appropriate female attire during this trip, as she did for her courtroom performances, she rejected the idea that middle-class costumes would provide real protection for black or white civil rights workers. Like black people as a group, they were targets of violence no matter the uniform. Rather than an armor of neat dresses and white gloves or crips chinos and white shirts, Kennedy pointedly argued, 'it seems to me that what they need is a few bullet proof vests.'" (94)
I can't remember when/where (maybe from Gloria Steinem) I first learned about Florynce Kennedy but I immediately fell in love and knew I had to get my hands on as many books about her as possible. Unfortunately this is the only biography at the moment.
Quotes like the above demonstrate Kennedy's crackling wit but unfortunately these moments are few and far between. The book came across very dry which was so disappointing based on the hilarious anecdotes sprinkled throughout the book, it was clear she was larger than life but the book doesn't spend enough time conveying this. The book starts off strong, Kennedy's family is fascinating and you're clearly able to see how her family helped form her adult development, they are proud and determined. Their family motto is "never take any shit" although as Black people in the early 20th century they still had to put up with their fair share of nonsense. They also raised the girls to be comfortable with their sexuality which felt unusual for their time but might not actually have been. Furthermore their mother Zella is incredibly independent, leaving her husband and living by herself with the girls and pursuing her dreams. These things shaped Kennedy's Black feminism. But by chapter three it feels almost like reading a textbook on Black feminism and 20th century history. I learned a lot and it was great to see the author drop knowledge about reproductive justice such as; "Black legislators had been at the forefront of the battle to rend restrictive abortion laws long before the women's movement took up the issue" (170), a fact I had never learned in school. I also wish there had been more of a focus on interviewing Kennedy's sisters to learn about the impact Flo had on them.
I appreciated learning about the impact Flo Kennedy had on the legal system and feminism/political movements overall. "Florynce Kennedy was one of the lawyers for this influential suit, which she intended to take on appeal all the way to the Supreme Court in order to radically expand women's reproductive choices by making abortion legal in all fifty states. Indeed, the tactics developed in the Abramowiczcase-most notably the use of women as expert witnesses-would later be used in Roe v. Wade<.i>, the landmark 1973 federal case that overturned restrictive abortion laws. Although Kennedy was a lead lawyer for this case and one of the country's best-known black feminists, her key role in helping to legalize abortion has long been forgotten and is absent from most histories of post-war feminism and the reproductive rights battle" (168-169). In addition to her actual work (she worked on some very cool cases) and activism, a lot of her quips are just as darkly humorous as they were during her time because America has made little progress on dealing with its racist past. The quote I opened the review with struck me as funny but it also should give you pause because similar jokes are made online and in person amongst Black people to keep from crying over the pain of our everlasting condition.
I wish we had learned more about Flo as a person than just as a feminist icon and American hero but I am relived and extremely grateful that someone wrote a biography of Kennedy's life, it seems to be long overdue. At the very least Florynce Kennedy's story needs to be told frequently throughout Black and Women's History months (until we can get to year round appreciation). A little more Kennedy brass with the same amount of historical context would have made this book truly enjoyable.
I can't remember when/where (maybe from Gloria Steinem) I first learned about Florynce Kennedy but I immediately fell in love and knew I had to get my hands on as many books about her as possible. Unfortunately this is the only biography at the moment.
Quotes like the above demonstrate Kennedy's crackling wit but unfortunately these moments are few and far between. The book came across very dry which was so disappointing based on the hilarious anecdotes sprinkled throughout the book, it was clear she was larger than life but the book doesn't spend enough time conveying this. The book starts off strong, Kennedy's family is fascinating and you're clearly able to see how her family helped form her adult development, they are proud and determined. Their family motto is "never take any shit" although as Black people in the early 20th century they still had to put up with their fair share of nonsense. They also raised the girls to be comfortable with their sexuality which felt unusual for their time but might not actually have been. Furthermore their mother Zella is incredibly independent, leaving her husband and living by herself with the girls and pursuing her dreams. These things shaped Kennedy's Black feminism. But by chapter three it feels almost like reading a textbook on Black feminism and 20th century history. I learned a lot and it was great to see the author drop knowledge about reproductive justice such as; "Black legislators had been at the forefront of the battle to rend restrictive abortion laws long before the women's movement took up the issue" (170), a fact I had never learned in school. I also wish there had been more of a focus on interviewing Kennedy's sisters to learn about the impact Flo had on them.
I appreciated learning about the impact Flo Kennedy had on the legal system and feminism/political movements overall. "Florynce Kennedy was one of the lawyers for this influential suit, which she intended to take on appeal all the way to the Supreme Court in order to radically expand women's reproductive choices by making abortion legal in all fifty states. Indeed, the tactics developed in the Abramowiczcase-most notably the use of women as expert witnesses-would later be used in Roe v. Wade<.i>, the landmark 1973 federal case that overturned restrictive abortion laws. Although Kennedy was a lead lawyer for this case and one of the country's best-known black feminists, her key role in helping to legalize abortion has long been forgotten and is absent from most histories of post-war feminism and the reproductive rights battle" (168-169). In addition to her actual work (she worked on some very cool cases) and activism, a lot of her quips are just as darkly humorous as they were during her time because America has made little progress on dealing with its racist past. The quote I opened the review with struck me as funny but it also should give you pause because similar jokes are made online and in person amongst Black people to keep from crying over the pain of our everlasting condition.
I wish we had learned more about Flo as a person than just as a feminist icon and American hero but I am relived and extremely grateful that someone wrote a biography of Kennedy's life, it seems to be long overdue. At the very least Florynce Kennedy's story needs to be told frequently throughout Black and Women's History months (until we can get to year round appreciation). A little more Kennedy brass with the same amount of historical context would have made this book truly enjoyable.
August 5, 2016
It's very telling that Gloria Steniem's book was promoted more and that Flo Kennedy biography was kept in the margins. It seems to be a constant theme to take from the backs of those deemed lesser to help those in a marginal better position and than simply deny them entrance for not following politics as usual.
Flo Kennedy is one of those engaging, intelligent, spirited, Feminists that should be praised for her actions in helping create the movement, but is ultimately not granted that acclaim for being too provocative. Her support and radical nature got us a platform, got society talking about our rights. so why is she forgotten throughout our Her-Story?
Too many of these organizations lack the contributions of Black and Brown Feminists. White Feminists keep using umbrella terms when in reality the main focal point is still the issues of white women.
Flo is just as important to our burgeoning history and the fact that not many newer Feminists know about her is corrupt. With the police brutality and racial issues being at it's peak in 2016, Her knowledge and push to being all those oppressed to st and together is sorely needed.
So I recommend reading both Steinman book and this one back to back to get a clearer idea of who set the stage for us and where as feminist we should be headed.
Flo Kennedy is one of those engaging, intelligent, spirited, Feminists that should be praised for her actions in helping create the movement, but is ultimately not granted that acclaim for being too provocative. Her support and radical nature got us a platform, got society talking about our rights. so why is she forgotten throughout our Her-Story?
Too many of these organizations lack the contributions of Black and Brown Feminists. White Feminists keep using umbrella terms when in reality the main focal point is still the issues of white women.
Flo is just as important to our burgeoning history and the fact that not many newer Feminists know about her is corrupt. With the police brutality and racial issues being at it's peak in 2016, Her knowledge and push to being all those oppressed to st and together is sorely needed.
So I recommend reading both Steinman book and this one back to back to get a clearer idea of who set the stage for us and where as feminist we should be headed.
December 2, 2015
While I was only able to finish part of this before my access was lost through netgalley, I learned more about the black experience during the pre-civil rights era than I ever did in high school or college. Not only does it brilliantly tell the story of Flo, but it explores black hardships and discrimination during an overlooked time in history. Also, the application of activism through living vs. "typical" activism was really smart to bring up. I think this should be a required read for everyone. Get new perspectives, learn about our country's history, and realize you can be an activist by just being you. Can't wait to read the rest.
April 24, 2017
Really interesting biography of one of the first true intersectional feminists (before that was even a term). Flo Kennedy championed the Black Power movement, helped to found NY NOW, and was part of many of the key legal/political moments of the 1960s and 70s. Her understanding of the interplay between anti-racism and anti-sexism work changed the way many of her contemporaries thought about their activism and matters for much of our work today.
January 8, 2016
This book is worth reading solely on how interesting Kennedy’s life was: a black female lawyer who had to fight Columbia to let her into their law school (they’re argument was they weren’t being racist they didn’t want her because she was a woman); was Billie Holiday's lawyer; assisted Valerie Solanas (the woman who shot Andy Warhol) with her legal defense; was a lawyer, and very influential, in the case that preceded Roe vs Wade; she founded The Feminist Party which launched the first Democratic woman for presidential nomination and the first major-party black candidate; The National Black Feminist Organization was founded in her apartment; she founded Coalition Against Racism and Sexism; lectured with Gloria Steinem. (That’s just some of what she accomplished.)
Not only did Kennedy live a seriously interesting life, she lived one with purpose linking all forms of oppression in order to fight against them all. While at the core she was fighting against racism and sexism she still fought against, and believed everyone should, all forms of oppression.
Every thing Kennedy did was met with great challenge and opposition. For example- if she was fighting for the rights of blacks she found herself up against black male leaders who were only fighting for the rights of black men while continuing to oppress black women; If she was fighting for the rights of women she found herself up against white women who were only fighting for the rights of middle to upper class white women. And yet she never stopped working towards giving voice and equal rights to all marginalized voices.
The type of awesomeness that Kennedy was: While being reprimanded for unladylike attire in the courtroom she pointed out to the judge that he was in a dress.
Whether you pick this book up as a historical read on an incredibly accomplished and interesting woman or because of its relevancy to our current times I recommend this book.
Not only did Kennedy live a seriously interesting life, she lived one with purpose linking all forms of oppression in order to fight against them all. While at the core she was fighting against racism and sexism she still fought against, and believed everyone should, all forms of oppression.
Every thing Kennedy did was met with great challenge and opposition. For example- if she was fighting for the rights of blacks she found herself up against black male leaders who were only fighting for the rights of black men while continuing to oppress black women; If she was fighting for the rights of women she found herself up against white women who were only fighting for the rights of middle to upper class white women. And yet she never stopped working towards giving voice and equal rights to all marginalized voices.
The type of awesomeness that Kennedy was: While being reprimanded for unladylike attire in the courtroom she pointed out to the judge that he was in a dress.
Whether you pick this book up as a historical read on an incredibly accomplished and interesting woman or because of its relevancy to our current times I recommend this book.
February 20, 2017
Cronical of FLO Kennedy ' contributions to both the feminist and black power movements
This is an interesting book following the activist career of Floranyce Kennedy . She was the first black and first woman to graduate from Columbia Law School. She started numerous black power and feminist groups and worked tirelessly to combine these causes.
This book is written in the third person. For me, this made the reading tedious and slow going .
This is an interesting book following the activist career of Floranyce Kennedy . She was the first black and first woman to graduate from Columbia Law School. She started numerous black power and feminist groups and worked tirelessly to combine these causes.
This book is written in the third person. For me, this made the reading tedious and slow going .
January 29, 2016
I enjoyed this biography of Florynce "Flo" Kennedy. This a work of tremendous scholarship as the author is nibble with her use of a small body of sources to connect and situate Kennedy within the black power and feminist movements, respectively. I would highly recommend this to anyone interested in the role of black women during key social movements of the 1960s and 1970s.
February 6, 2016
Amazing woman. the work focuses very little on her personal life. (She was married which ended in divorce.) Her professional life was amazing. Being a Black lawyer in the 50's, she was a leader in all feminist and "radical" movements. It was interesting meeting her in this work.
February 28, 2018
So Florynce Kennedy was a very interesting and critical person to the strides we made towards equality in the 60s & 70s. I'm glad I know more about her, but this writing was very, very dry and I am also very glad I am finished.
Three stars for content.
Three stars for content.
Read
February 1, 2016Biog K355r 2015
January 31, 2018
Very interesting woman and book.
February 16, 2023
Flo Kennedy gets 5 stars, the book gets 2.
Kennedy was wild and daring and charismatic and strategic and fun!
The book was like a dissertation, the pages long and unbroken and daunting.
It was insultingly repetitive-
we are told twice she said if she married she'd keep money in a jar- I got it the first time!
On pg 47 & 50 we're told pre-law students could attend law school senior year
on pg 85 & 111 she says the uniform should have been bullet proof vests
on pg 96 & 111 she recounts her arrest
Then this quote we "got out of there fast"- is that really quotable?
She used Color me Flo as such a source I think I should have read that instead.
Kennedy was wild and daring and charismatic and strategic and fun!
The book was like a dissertation, the pages long and unbroken and daunting.
It was insultingly repetitive-
we are told twice she said if she married she'd keep money in a jar- I got it the first time!
On pg 47 & 50 we're told pre-law students could attend law school senior year
on pg 85 & 111 she says the uniform should have been bullet proof vests
on pg 96 & 111 she recounts her arrest
Then this quote we "got out of there fast"- is that really quotable?
She used Color me Flo as such a source I think I should have read that instead.
February 19, 2019
Definitely pretty academic in its style (no surprise there!) and a little repetitive - not just in concept but in literal paragraphs in a way I haven’t experienced before. But drew connections between the Black Power movement and the nascent feminist movement in ways I’d never realized. Florynce Kennedy was one of the greats, clearly. Damn.
November 2, 2022
This is an incredibly well-crafted social biography. Sherie Randolph does a fantastic job of detailing Kennedy's life while raising questions about intersectional activism and the whole of radical Black feminists, like Kennedy, in social movements. She looks into the ways in which Kennedy's life challenges white supremacy and the patriarchy. Really great biography.
April 22, 2019
Well researched and well written.
April 15, 2020
Good info but the writing was dry and very impersonal. I feel like I only know about Flo's career and not who she is as a person.
March 26, 2025
I don’t often read books in academia where I walk away with a new role model. Thank you Flo Kennedy <3
loved it.
loved it.
August 13, 2020
This book taught me a lot that even Flo Kennedy’s own memoir did not mention. Well-researched and timely for today’s injustices, it gave me a lot of ideas to try in my quest to be an effective activist.
April 5, 2017
I knew nothing about Flo Kennedy, which was a shame. This is a good biography of a phenomenal woman, and the lessons she taught remain all too relevant right now. (The writing in this book is a little redundant sometimes though. Doesn't detract from how amazing Flo was though.)
April 25, 2017
What is most stunning about this book is that I never heard of Flo Kennedy, although I certainly heard and read plenty about her contemporaries. How was the press able to disregard this flamboyant and amazing woman? She was so far ahead of her time, and quite honestly, exactly the person we could use today to bring together all these disparate groups who so desperately want to save democracy for future generations.
Sherie Randolph brings Florynce Kennedy to life. You'll almost feel like you knew her and you'll certainly wish you had. Amazing book. I checked this out of the library, but I MUST have a copy of my own.
Sherie Randolph brings Florynce Kennedy to life. You'll almost feel like you knew her and you'll certainly wish you had. Amazing book. I checked this out of the library, but I MUST have a copy of my own.
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