All the Black Girls Are Activists: A Fourth Wave Womanist Pursuit of Dreams as Radical Resistance

by EbonyJanice Moore

“Who would black women get to be if we did not have to create from a place of resistance?”

Hip Hop Womanist writer and theologian EbonyJanice’s book of essays center a fourth wave of Womanism, dreaming, the pursuit of softness, ancestral reverence, and radical wholeness as tools of liberation.

All The Black Girls Are Activists is a love letter to Black girls and Black women, asking and attempting to offer some answers to “Who would black women get to be if we did not have to create from a place of resistance?” by naming Black women’s wellness, wholeness, and survival as the radical revolution we have been waiting for.

About the EbonyJanice is a dynamic lecturer, transformational speaker, passionate multi-faith preacher, and creative focused on Decolonizing Authority, Hip Hop Scholarship, Womanism as a Political and Spiritual/Religious tool for Liberation, Blackness as Religion, Dialogue as central to professional development and personal growth, and Women and Gender Studies focused on black girlhood.

EbonyJanice holds a B.A. in Cultural Anthropology and Political Science and a Master of Arts in Social Change with a concentration in Spiritual Leadership, Womanist Theology, and Racial Justice. She is the founder of Black Girl Mixtape, a multi-platform safe think-space centering the intellectual and creative authority of black women in the form of a lecture series, an online learning institute, and a creative collaborative.

EbonyJanice is also the founder of Dream Yourself Free, a Spiritual Mentoring project focused on black women's healing, dreaming, ease, play, and wholeness as their activism and resistance work.

Genres: Nonfiction, Feminism, Race, Essays, Politics, Audiobook, Memoir

160 pages, Paperback

Published July 11, 2023

Reviews

[Breeee Ranae⚜️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let me start off by saying I really enjoyed this book so much so that I want to gift to all my cousins as Christmas gifts this year. Every woman of color should read this book. Young & old.

I had the pleasure of meeting this author with my book club (BWRT.BOOKCLUB on IG join us) & she was so cool, informative, & down to earth. This book really made me think about lot of deep topics such as code switching, sex, & family issues (nothing traumatic). READ THE BOOK SIS. ✨

[amarachireads · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very insightful book on the author's passion towards living a soft and enlightened life and inspiring other black women to do the same. Even though this was really short, I enjoyed the author's stories and the real-life experiences that they wove into this. I knew this book was good because I was nodding my head and highlighting phrases in it. There was a bit about religion, ancestors, and spirituality, which I thought was very interesting. I loved all the bits about how she practiced living a gentle life and drew experiences from her ancestors. Overall I enjoyed reading this, I didn't know there was a womanist movement, and I liked learning about that and how to collectively come together and figure out what healing looks like.

Thank you, Row House Publishing, for this arc.

[Em · Rating 5 out of 5]

EbonyJanice Moore is a womanist, scholar, author, and community organizer who is passionate about decolonizing the idea of how we tend to look at credibility. She wants all Black femmes to know that there are many ways to receive an education and most especially when we honor our lived experiences, that of our foremothers, and that of the ancestors in our lineages.

In All the Black Girls Are Activists EbonyJanice Moore provides readers with her own unique contribution to what she names fourth-wave womanism. This fourth wave of womanism is defined as a womanist/spiritual/justice practice, theory, and sociopolitical praxis that centers the importance of rest, pleasure, ease and play for Black women. Moore asserts that rest, pleasure, ease and play are central tools in our healing and justice work.

She honors the work of the elders we build upon and breaks down the three waves of womanism and their canonical figures:

Wave one: The first Black women writers who called their work "womanism". They called out the limitations of feminism and centered Black liberation theology as a way to include the labor and contributions of Black women to the feminist movement.

Wave two: The scholars and theologians who started doing canon-building work and building off the foundation of wave one.

Wave three: The scholars who integrated the work and literature of waves one and two and included Afrofuturism into the discussion around popular culture, technology, and diasporic spiritual practice .

All the Black Girls are Activists is an example of trailblazing scholarship in wave four of the womanist movement. A fourth wave that honors and incorporates waves one through three and is not based in the bias of credentialism or traditional scholarship. The fourth wave of womanism honors the inherent knowledge of all non-male, Black contributors.

Thanks to the shift social media has made towards making information accessible to all, this fourth wave is about the collective and communal efforts of all of us doing this healing work. This book is love offering and a game changer!

Thank you to the author and publisher for the e-arc copy!

[Booked.Shaye BWRT · Rating 5 out of 5]

An ICON. A LEGEND. This book will forever be brought up in any future BOOK TALK I have with anyone. I absolutely loved it. I think I’ve read it 4 times in 3 months. I think I’ve gifted 8 of my Book Club members this book & an additional 8 family members.
The titles of the chapters alone Stand out enough for you to be intrigued, & the writing with in them , pull you in & make you think & imagine her exact point of view.

I didn’t consider my self an activist prior to this reading. Now , Im really sitting here like , ALL THE BLACK GIRLS ARE ACTIVIST.
Please put this on your list to read , & while you are at , purchase it for someone , so they can read & relate with you. I’m so grateful my Book Club ( Black Women Read Too ) read with me on this journey.

[Misse Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Put some RESPECT on her name!

All The Black Girls Are Activists far exceeds my expectations of what I knew would be a call to action for all Black girls, women, and femmes. Admittedly, I did not know much about the author prior to opening this book but EbonyJanice definitely left her mark on me. I love how at the forefront of this book is a question that I kept in mind all throughout: “Who would black women get to be if we did not have to create from a place of resistance?”I am gracious to NetGalley for gifting me an e-ARC, in exchange for an honest review.

EbonyJanice invokes so much passion into her work and her writing, it is no wonder there was a ton of hype over this book of essays. Here, she introduces a contemporary fourth wave of womanism (that some might call a soft-era) highlighting wellness, wholeness, and survival as the radical revolution we've all been waiting for. Drawing from historical examples, anecdotes, and research this book brought home what it means to live freely and sit in a soft and enlightened experience.

I knew I'd appreciate this book so much by its end looking at the copious notes and highlights I was making from the start. It is an excellent addition to conversations on the subject and I of course plan to support her efforts in reading other works of women and femme's that's she's highlighted in this book.

All this to say: You go girl!

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

“It is essential to my intention to heal my ancestors in this journey to freedom, and it is essential to ensuring that the generation to come never has to find out, after the fact, that they wouldn’t be the first to do something like that.” Centering ancestor and healing work is at the heart of this book. EbonyJanice details a fourth wave womanism that honors legacy but centers self and communal healing, drawing on contemporary musicians and thinkers as central inspirations. I appreciated her perspective on the role of daughters, breaking out of what’s expected. She comes back to a quote from Alice Walker several times in the book about not being the first—which connects with this theme. This book will be well received by EbonyJanice’s online community and has the reach + vision to call in other women to imagine their freedoms.

[Olivia · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book was extremely well written! I found it very insightful and you can definitely feel EbonyJanice’s passion behind this! it obviously wasn’t relatable since I’m white but I still learned from it and that doesn’t affect my rating.

[Jalisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Monica A. Coleman opens the foreword to the book saying "What would a revolution that does not cost us our whole Spirit, soul, and bodies look like?" and then EbonyJanice shows us the possibilities.

EbonyJanice frames the book around Alice Walker's definition of womanism from her book "In Search of Our Mother's Gardens" and from there she builds out a fourth wave of feminism that invites Black women to reclaim or pursue dreaming, loudness, softness, body sovereignty, unashamedness, wellness, our names, madness, our ancestors and our authority.

I love that the book is a love letter to Black women. Throughout the book she references elders and ancestors like Zora Neale Hurston, Maya Angelou, Alice Walker, Audre Lorde, Toni Morrison, Dr. Renita Weems, Dr. Monica A. Coleman , and calls out current womanist thinkers such as Tricia Hersey of the Nap Ministry, Shelah Marie from Curvy, Curly, Conscious, and Lauren Ash from Black Girl in Om as a part of this lineage of freedom dreamers.


In the closing chapter EbonyJanice talks about citation as political and " building a deep ethic of citation, at all times, and all spaces, because we understand that when knowledge is being shared, it is easy to erase Black women and femmes from the discussion, even when we were the ones who introduced the language." She is intentional about acknowledging her intellectual lineage and influence throughout the book or as she beautifully says "citing the spark."

She builds out frames like Tricia Hersey's Nap Ministry by really contextualizing the political nature of rest in a country that has historically made it illegal for Black women to know play, leisure, and bodily autonomy outside of labor and usefulness to others. She talks us through why we need liberation and joy here on earth and not just in a future heaven. She shows us that we are not the first to try these things and we sit on the shoulders of others who had their own freedom dreams and take things to the next level with the new tools at our disposal.

I was especially drawn to her belief that we need to divest from the ways that we have been resisting from the beginning of time. She says" any form of activism that causes our bodies will not serve us- anymore. We believe that if we continue in that direction exclusively with those tools, we will die without our freedom, still." She notes that "We are being known for our resistance and not for our living." and "everything I create is created from resistance rather than from a place of just being. "And that sentiment punched me in the gut.

As someone who has spent over 15 years working in the non-profit sector around racial justice and health equity work, so much of my sense of self had been built around striving, resisting, and depriving myself of rest, proper compensation, and boundaries in service of this larger belief that to be a martyr for the movement was mandatory. My lived experience in collaboration with this book has proved to me that that is not a sustainable path toward any type of embodied freedom in this lifetime. My ancestors have done this work for hundreds of years in the US and we still have not found liberation. It is time to try new experiments and I so appreciate that this book lays out new ways of being.

This book gave me room to grapple, and journal, and dream, and agree with some things and struggle with others. I am so thankful to Jenn, creator of The Colored Girls Liberation lab for creating a space for a group of women, including me, to read this book and discuss how it fits into our lives and small ways that we can practice what we're learning in this book. I highly recommend this read.

" It is not wise to allow our own definition of freedom to be formed by people who are not free themselves." - EbonyJanice

[Marquisha Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Luxuriously brilliant! EbonyJanice offers a sacred, beautiful execution of fourth wave womanism. This book is a historical account of the work of womanist scholars and Black folks before her that builds on an approach that our ancestors would be proud to see carried out into our every day lives.

She lays out 10 pursuits that align with a fourth wave of womanism. It is thoughtful. Smartly researched. So real. There were moments that I simply held the book to my chest and weeped. I weeped for myself and for my daughter. And to use one of EbonyJanice’s concepts, there were several sparks that will be helpful and appropriately cited in my own continued work.

It’s revolutionary.

[Aubrei Hayes · Rating 5 out of 5]

A truly incredible & remarkable overview of Black Women, Womanism, and the true resilience that is held in self care & the element of play when it comes to Black Girlhood.

These essays take us on the origination & journey of Womanism, the waves of Womanism and how it’s evolved today! From owning our own bodies, to reclaiming our names, and the epitome of rest in societal warfare we are RESILIENT 🩷 Throughout a world of greed & oppression we as women provide love & care… please don’t forget to give yourself that same kind of love & care 🩷✨

[Brittany · Rating 4 out of 5]

Insightful, uplifting, inspiring, and enlightening. There's a lot here about family, society expectations, citations, and so much more. EbonyJanice is forthright, vulnerable, and thoughtful, reminding us of who we are, who and what we can be, and the revolutionary imagination we need to employ.

[Alison · Rating 5 out of 5]

INCREDIBLE.

[Erica Bartsch · Rating 5 out of 5]

"we are being known for our resistance and not for our living."
"we shouldn't have to create our own everything in order to experience equity."

Black women are often not allowed to be soft and are instead forced to be strongblackwoman even to their own detriment. however, there can be strength in being soft. "Our softness does not negate our strength whatsoever."

"surrendering shame is revolutionary"

"Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation and that is an act of political warfare."

"the fact of the matter is, some folk don't hear you until you cuss."

Thoughts on the supremacist and patriarchal view that the only studying and knowlege that "counts" are those that happen within the walls of a classroom or space that white patriarchy deems credible. This discounts all the time, energy, labor that women have historically put in outside of the classroom sharing knowledge, having discussions, and creating their own knowledge.

Citation is political. cite the source and cite the spark. (basic practice in being a good ally)
do not undervalue their contribution to your knowledge.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars

[Iesha · Rating 5 out of 5]

EbonyJanice offers an in-depth look into Black Womanism through personal experiences and historical/social/cultural references. I felt inspired and seen reading this book. Great read!

[Nikki Penda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Chapter 13 about coming out as non Christian really resonated with me. My Lil sister recently passed and part of her conflict was family not accepting who she really was.

[Whitney Campbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was right on time for when I needed it!

[K.C. Norton · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5*

This fell into an interesting space between Hood Feminism and Soil... Moore's approach to talking about racial justice reminded me more of Hood Feminism, in that she relies heavily on descriptions of her own experience to shape this book. I point this out to differentiate this from what I would call more "academic" writing, which generally makes a point citing outside sources and then uses the author's experience as an example. I'm not placing any value judgment on that comparison, just noting it because I find it interesting to see which books use the personal as a way to lead into social experience, and vice versa. I know for a fact that there was a point where I would have been skeptical of this more personal style, and I've seen a lot of people pick this approach apart by saying things like "that's just your experience." Hey, turns out that all writing is shaped by the author's experience! Some people are just more up front about that.

Anyway, I'd also compare this to Soil, because both authors cite a lot of literature rather than scholarship to illustrate their points. There's also an emphasis in both texts on reclaiming things that are not generally considered to be "for" or available to Black women. AtBGaA covers a variety of topics, but three big ones are:

1. Rest
2. Joy
3. Self-value

I've read and heard other works that talk about how Black women reclaiming rest and joy are radical acts, but the way EbonyJanice Moore frames the conversation hit me in a new way. It's one thing to hear an idea and go, "Yes, I understand that intellectually" and another to have someone phrase things in such a way that makes to FEEL it on a more profound level. As a person who's had to do a lot of learning and unlearning about my assumptions around race, geeze, I have relied SO MUCH on the labor of Black women, often unpaid emotional labor when it comes to social media content and personal conversations. I recently had to go into "survival mode" after a physical injury, which meant pausing a lot of my social conversations, so when she talks about activism being perceived as a survival mode necessity for Black women, I got it in a way I haven't before. I have the privilege of being able to take a break from these conversations, and I already *knew* that, but in this book, I *felt* it. Truly, those of us with the privilege to sit out conversations on race need to get it together.

With AtBGaA, I very much felt that I was visiting a space that wasn't designed for me, but I was allowed to visit and learn. My sense is that this book is designed for a Black audience, unlike Hood Feminism and some other texts that have been written to educate white readers. I can't speak to how this book will impact a Black non-male reader (Moore is very intentional about gendered language in the text, so if that's a consideration for you, never fear), but for me this was definitely worth the read.

[Emmalita · Rating 5 out of 5]

First, if you haven’t already, go follow EbonyJanice Moore on Instagram and then go pre-order or buy All the Black Girls Are Activists. Secondly, I am a middle-aged white woman who is working on unlearning white supremacy, so this book was not written for me. Regardless, I got a lot out of reading this, and I think other white and non-Black people will too.

Purely as a reading experience, All the Black Girls are Activists: A Fourth Wave Womanist Pursuit of Dreams as Radical Resistance is a joy. EbonyJanice writes with passion for her subjects and compassion for her readers. One of the things I enjoyed about reading her essays was the way her work conveyed that it is part of a larger movement. She incorporates the work of contemporaries and quotes the works of the people who came before her. I was familiar with some of the people named and added others to my list of people to read.

I mention this because individualism is one of the hallmarks of white supremacy, a system which I am working on dismantling within my own self. Years ago I had a friend and housemate who helped organize a yearly weekend gathering for queer women of color. I loved hearing her talk about it. It sounded amazing, but I didn’t ask to go because I am not a queer woman of color. It wasn’t until she talked about a white colleague haranguing her about not being invited that I really understood why the weekend was closed to white women. Her description of how viscerally she wanted a space where she didn’t have to worry about a white woman’s feelings all the time has stuck with me. I had a similar feeling reading All the Black Girls are Activists. I am not invited inside the Womanist tent, and I am ok with that. I loved reading about the work she and other Black femmes are doing, and I will continue to read and support that work, while also staying in my lane. We all need space to breath and just be.

I received this as an advance reader copy from Row House Publishing and NetGalley. My opinions are my own, freely and honestly given.

[Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

All The Black Girls Are Activists is about professor and writer EbonyJanice’s personal journey of healing and self-love. Her story holds up a mirror to all Black women navigating misogynoir. With her collection of essays, she blew me away with this beautiful continuation of Womanist theory.

EbonyJanice provides a theoretical foundation to womanism that all of her essays are centered around. What I love most about the collection is they embody its title. Not only does EbonyJanice talk about her own stories, but she also brings in the wisdom that she has learned from Black women through her life.

An essay that fascinated me, “In Pursuit of Loudness”, deals with the harmful stereotypes surrounding Black womanhood. She writes about her cousin, Latresha, and how her “loudness” was an expression of Black girlhood:

“The reality is that Black girlhood, on its highest decibel, no matter how loud or how muted it is, will always still be on the outside of mainstream’s acceptable way of being. This places Black girlhood in contrast to the basic concept of girlhood in general” (P. 17).

Although EbonyJanice talks about the harm of stereotypes, there are points in her essays where she seems to fall into that trap herself. She writes about how many Black children grew up seeing white children get away with certain behaviors in public since white parents “believed in private chastisement” (P. 19). I understand she is speaking in generalities, but I cannot help to think of my own family dynamics as a Black household, where we followed the “private chastisement” rule.

All The Black Girls Are Activists is attuned to the experiences of Black womanhood, and it has an eye on the denigrating forces of misogynoir. Through those forces, a framework of living is exposed and termed as Womanism. This collection of essays attests to the brilliance, beauty and resilience of the Black woman.

[Sara Everett · Rating 5 out of 5]

***I thought of Nigeria Jones by Ibi Zoboi so many times while reading All the Black Girls Are Activists.***
I highly recommend this work as a nonfiction companion to Nigeria Jones. The chapters “In Pursuit of My Body” and “In Pursuit of My Ancestors” in particular made me think of Nigeria’s journey through grief and her discovery of personal independence.

***I loved the way moments from fiction fit into chapter discussions.***
Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison, for example, illustrates a point about nicknames “In Pursuit of My Name.”

*** It feels impossible to read these essays in a vacuum. They inspired me to make so many connections with other art and stories.***
I credit the mention of Song of Solomon and its resulting freshness on my mind for the big aha moment I had about Lena Dead’s character in the next chapter “In Pursuit of Madness.” EbonyJanice’s words in "In Pursuit of Madness" cast a new nuanced light on that scene from chapter 9 in Song of Solomon when Lena so powerfully expressed her anger to Milkman.

This book has 10 titled chapters, plus in an introduction. While it can be read in one sitting (it's 123 pages), you probably won’t want to read it that quickly or read it just once. It’s too richly written not to be savored.

Thematically, each chapter can stand alone, but they shine together as a whole. The chapters are all in layered conversation with each other, from the naming of the titles to a guiding refrain (that stems from Alice Walker’s words) that's woven throughout the book.

***The index!***
This book contains the most detailed, extensive, delightful, and useful index I have held in my hands in years!!! It is a beautiful and complete map for the book that I will use frequently.

[Lauren Larry · Rating 5 out of 5]

“church girls, don't hurt nobody” - Queen B

The ancestors are proud. Point blank. Her book is one of the most relatable books of the year. EbonyJanice goes out of her way to make Black folk of marginalized genders feel seen! She mentions new comers to womanism! Those of us that grew up as Black church girls will relate. As a “Black Church Girl” that walked away from the Church, this book was refreshing. Not too churchy. She mentions the pain of constantly being humbled and told to be silent. This is a mix of acknowledgment of the Black Church along with critical analysis of of the Black Church as it applies to womanism. I adore womanism. I adore an author that can give Black folk of marginalized genders a chance to breathe. She mentions Eloquent Rage (another must read). We have room to be joyful and be filled with rage.

This is the fourth wave. We have the ability to critique womanism of the past and to make it more inclusive. The fourth wave of womanism can and will leave a lasting impact. I felt seen. I felt like for once all the books I’ve read on womanism were being acknowledged. She cited many of my favorite books and added to my TBR!

[Whitney Phillips · Rating 5 out of 5]

EbonyJanice’s "All the Black Girls Are Activists" is nothing short of a transformative read. As a Black woman on a personal journey towards freedom and softness, this book resonated deeply with me. EbonyJanice's words felt like a warm embrace, reflecting my own experiences and aspirations. It was as if I had found a kindred spirit through her writing, capturing the essence of what it means to be seen and supported in our shared narrative.

The book felt like coming home—an exquisite collaboration of minds and a collective group hug. EbonyJanice speaks to us in a language that feels both intimate and empowering, making this read an essential part of any Black woman’s journey towards self-discovery and activism. I will be recommending this gem to everyone I know. Read it, sis. You won’t regret it.

[Jade · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow. All i can say is that as a black woman , I really felt the passion that EbonyJanice put into this book. I dont meant to be dramatic but at some points in the book i even began to tear up because some of the topics hit close to home. This book was definitely something that i relate to personally and will definitely need a physical copy to reread and highlight all of the points that hit. I appreciated the touch of humor throughout the book , I’m not sure if it was just how EbonyJanice is as a writer or if it was unintentional but either way i loved it.

I think all Black Women should read this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and to Row House Publishing for gifting me the opportunity to read this book before its release date.

[Jade · Rating 4 out of 5]

EbonyJanice's All the Black girls is not only a salve for Black girls, femmes and women; it is a call to dreaming. A call to trust a world beyond the senses and a call to trust ourselves; committing towards a practice of pleasure seeking in relation to our bodies. A call to build a world we've never seen before.

I really appreciated the nuance with which EbonyJanice addresses the demonization of honouring one's ancestors and how that demonization maintains systems that require us to be out of our bodies.

EbonyJanice reminds us that citation is a Womanist practice. Grateful for this text.

[Antonia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this brilliant, hopeful and thoughtful book from ebonyjanice, the founder of Black Girl Mixtape. I've been following her and the publisher, Row House Publishing for some time and was so excited for this book! ebonyjanice centers Blackness and the experiences of Black women, but please don't take that to mean that it won't resonate for readers of all races, ethnicities, genders and identities - there is much to be learned as the author explores "who would Black women get to be if we did not have to create from a place of resistance?" I highly recommend this book and following the author on social media.

[Plus Size Bibliophile · Rating 4 out of 5]

I took my time with this. I have always struggled with non-fiction books because it's such an overload of information. I believe pacing yourself and reflecting on the words of wisdom withing these pages is a must.

Ebony did a fantastic job addressing soo many struggles that black and brown women face as children and adults not only from society but within our own community.

So much of what she said was relatable and brought up soo many memories from my life not just with myself but with my mother, my grandmother, my daughters that forced me to take a step back and really study how I felt, reacted, and processed things.

Highly recommend for all non-white, non-male readers

[Tamela Gordon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the BEST book out there that defined the fourth wave of womanism. EbonyJanice eloquently proves that ease, joy, and rest is liberation for Black women and other Black marginalized genders. She does this effortlessly with compassion, wit, and humor. By combining personal storytelling with the occasional pop culture reference and reflections of Black culture, All the Black Girls are Activists takes what could have been a complex framework and makes it a relateable resource for every reader.

[Emma Ledvina · Rating 5 out of 5]

EbonyJanice created a true masterpiece. It’s basically a well-researched dissertation on an extremely important and profound topic that is actually super engaging to read. (As opposed to most dissertations, which can be quite dry / boring.) Her writing is gorgeous. Her ideas are brilliant. Her synthesis of others’ ideas is masterful. Just so, so good. It’s a love letter to Black women, AND I’m a white woman that has gotten a TREMENDOUS amount out of reading it. The world is lucky to be gifted EbonyJanice’s work!

[Book Enchanted · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book that best describes the fourth wave of womanism is currently available. EbonyJanice persuasively demonstrates that for Black women and other marginalised Black genders, ease, joy, and rest are liberation. With kindness, wit, and humour, she achieves this with ease. All the Black Girls are Activists transforms what might have been a difficult framework into a useful tool for every reader by weaving personal narrative with the occasional pop culture allusion and reflections on Black culture.