Living for the Revolution: Black Feminist Organizations, 1968-1980

by Kimberly Springer

The first in-depth analysis of the black feminist movement, Living for the Revolution fills in a crucial but overlooked chapter in African American, women’s, and social movement history. Through original oral history interviews with key activists and analysis of previously unexamined organizational records, Kimberly Springer traces the emergence, life, and decline of several black feminist organizations: the Third World Women’s Alliance, Black Women Organized for Action, the National Black Feminist Organization, the National Alliance of Black Feminists, and the Combahee River Collective. The first of these to form was founded in 1968; all five were defunct by 1980. Springer demonstrates that these organizations led the way in articulating an activist vision formed by the intersections of race, gender, class, and sexuality.

The organizations that Springer examines were the first to explicitly use feminist theory to further the work of previous black women’s organizations. As she describes, they emerged in response to marginalization in the civil rights and women’s movements, stereotyping in popular culture, and misrepresentation in public policy. Springer compares the organizations’ ideologies, goals, activities, memberships, leadership styles, finances, and communication strategies. Reflecting on the conflicts, lack of resources, and burnout that led to the demise of these groups, she considers the future of black feminist organizing, particularly at the national level. Living for the Revolution is an essential reference: it provides the history of a movement that influenced black feminist theory and civil rights activism for decades to come.

Genres: Feminism, History, Nonfiction, Politics, Race, American History, Activism

240 pages, Paperback

First published April 7, 2005

Reviews

[Daphne · Rating 4 out of 5]

the information provided and the archival work done is really invaluable.

there is an unnamed Black trans woman (only mentioned in passing) who tried to find feminist community in 1970s Chicago but the community was not receptive and i hope that she got to live a full-life and I wish that the text was better about recognizing her womanhood

[Angélique (Angel) · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I read How We Get Free: Black Feminism and the Combahee River Collective by Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor in 2023, I quoted June Jordan to express how I spent most of that book feeling like I hadn’t done my homework. I still learned a lot from Taylor’s collection of interviews but I finished the book with the sense I had missed much more due to my lack of knowledge about the early social movement experiences of Black feminists. This is the first book I’ve read since then that made me feel like I’m catching up to the Black feminist histories I needed to know to get the most out of Taylor’s book.

In addition to filling gaps in my knowledge about Black feminist organizing histories, this book also validated and expanded the way that I think about present-day organizing. The deeper Springer dove into the rise and fall of the Black feminist organizations in her study, the more the book began to resemble a sort of road map to help Black feminists and other activists more effectively consider the opportunities and challenges inherent to the process of collectively organizing around shared identities and oppressions. I wish I had known of this book when I first jumped into organizing and advocacy work because I believe it would have helped me better understand what I was walking into and how my co-laborers and I might have increased the effectiveness of our organizations.

Although I struggled throughout the book with Springer’s structural choices, I still found this to be one of the most useful and motivating books I’ve read. I highly recommend it to anyone seeking to learn more about Black feminist histories or looking for strategies to organize and advocate more effectively. I look forward to diving into some of the references and doing my own literature review to build off all I gained from this book!

[Benjamin Fasching-Gray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although I am not such a fan of "resource mobilization" analyses of social movements, and their inevitable conclusions that there should be more fund raising, I did enjoy this slim volume. I would have liked more of the oral histories, even more biographical information about the women Springer interviewed.

[Tim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Springer writes an analysis of Black feminist organizations during the Civil Rights Era. Disenfranchised by their intersectional oppression, Black women were excluded by the feminist and Black civil rights movements and platforms. Black feminists organized against both race and gender oppression, yet even after organizing, Black feminist groups were marginalized by larger civil rights groups during the same period - and continue to be marginalized in movements today. To begin her analysis, Springer separates the development of ideology, organizations, and movements and chronicles each Black feminist group’s formation and decline within this framework.

[amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book to learn about 5 of the black feminist organizations that existed during the '2nd wave' which was seen as a predominantly if not all white women's movement.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very well organized, clearly argued and analyzed, informative, sensitive and timely. The best book we've read for class so far (six months into the year...)!

[Keisha R · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm excited to finish this.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read excerpts for 20th Century Black Feminist Thought and Practice, Fall 2013.