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WAI Think Tank on The Combahee River Collective Statement
24 June, 2021
A fundamental text to understand ‘identity politics’ that focuses on the black women’s oppression because ‘most profound and potentially most radical politics come directly out’ from the black women’s identity, something that in the case of black women is a ‘particularly repugnant, dangerous, threatening, and therefore revolutionary concept because it is obvious from looking at all the political movements that have preceded’ them that anyone is ‘more worthy of liberation’ than black women. Through the manifesto the collective rejects ‘pedestals, queenhood, and walking ten paces behind’, since to ‘be recognized as human, levelly human, is enough.’ Through the discussion of four main points including the genesis of contemporary black feminism; the specific province of their politics; the problems in organizing black feminists, including brief herstory of the collective; and black feminist issues and practice, the manifesto states its clear intersectional approach since because they believe that ‘sexual politics under patriarchy is as pervasive in black women’s lives as are the politics of class and race.’