Pride: Barbara Smith

Episode Summary

Paragraph 1: - The podcast episode is about Barbara Smith, an influential activist and icon for black queer feminism. She co-founded the Combahee River Collective and helped develop the framework for black queer feminism. Paragraph 2: - Barbara Smith was born in 1946 in Cleveland, Ohio. She and her twin sister Beverly were raised by their grandmother after their mother died when they were 9. Education was important in her family. Paragraph 3: - Smith became involved in civil rights activism in high school. She got her bachelor's from Mount Holyoke and master's from Univ of Pittsburgh. After graduating, she felt excluded from social movements as a black queer woman. Paragraph 4: - Smith started the Boston chapter of the National Black Feminist Organization in the 1970s. It later became the Combahee River Collective, which published an influential statement calling out racism and sexism. Paragraph 5: - In 1980, Smith co-founded Kitchen Table: Women of Color Press, one of the first publishing houses for women of color. She was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize in 2005 and continues activism work today.

Episode Show Notes

Barbara Smith (1946-present) is one of the most influential activists of the 20th century. She was part of the team that penned the Combahee River Collective Statement and laid the framework for Black queer feminism to flourish in an era of activism.

Episode Transcript

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Today's queer icon is one of the most influential activists of the 20th century and one of my icons. She was part of the team that penned the Combahee River Collective Statement and laid the framework for black queer feminism to flourish in an era of activism. Let's talk about Barbara Smith. Barbara was born on December 16th, 1946 in Cleveland, Ohio. She and her fraternal twin, Beverly, were born prematurely and suffered from ill health as children. When the twins were just nine years old, their mother died. From then on, Barbara and Beverly were raised by their maternal grandmother. Education was an important topic in Barbara's family. Her mother had been the first member of the family to graduate from college and her grandmother continued to encourage the twins' interest in school. Barbara also developed an interest in activism early on. While attending high school, she participated in boycotts and marches in the 1960s Civil Rights Movement. Barbara received her bachelor's from Mount Holyoke in 1969 and her master's in literature from the University of Pittsburgh just two years later. After graduation, Barbara found herself drawn once again into activist circles. Barbara had grown up in a segregated city and felt the effects of widespread racism throughout her time in school. After school, she felt excluded from many of the social movements taking place in the 1970s. Larger movements like second wave feminism and even parts of the Civil Rights Movement were not welcoming to Barbara's multifaceted identity as a queer black woman. Barbara resolved to create her own community. Along with other black feminists, including her sister, Beverly, Barbara started a Boston regional chapter of the National Black Feminist Organization. By 1975, the Boston chapter became independent due to the lack of support from the national organization. The chapter renamed itself the Combahee River Collective. The collective was named after the river in South Carolina where Harriet Tubman led a raid that freed more than 750 enslaved people during the Civil War. In 1977, the group published its famous Combahee River Collective statement. The statement called attention to the exclusion Barbara experienced in social movements. Specifically, Barbara called out the racism present in the feminist movement and the sexism present in the Civil Rights Movement. The statement also included one of the earliest, if not the earliest, use of the phrase identity politics. The Combahee River Collective worked towards various goals, including desegregating Boston schools, raising awareness for violence against women, and bringing black lesbian feminism into conversations on social justice. In 1980, the collective disbanded due to internal conflict. That same year, Barbara started a new project. Along with her friend, Audra Lord, the two co-founded Kitchen Table, a publishing press established by women of color for women of color. It was one of the first of its kind in the United States. Kitchen Table published seminal work that is still studied today, including the anthology, The Bridge Called My Back. Throughout her life, Barbara has continued to critique exclusionary social movements and receive accolades as an activist. In 2005, she was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize. Barbara is currently 74. As she does not have access to a traditional retirement fund, a Caring Circle is dedicated to supporting Barbara's continued work as an activist. SPEAKER_01: How do you keep your spirits up and keep engaged when you're doing really, really, really hard work? I talked about how it's the successes that keep me going, but most days you're not gonna have successes. You're just gonna keep on doing the work and trying to figure out how to get more justice. SPEAKER_02: All month, Encyclopedia Womanica is celebrating Pride. To get Womanica in your inbox, check out the Womanica weekly newsletter. Follow Encyclopedia Womanica on Facebook and Instagram at Encyclopedia Womanica. Special thanks to Encyclopedia Womanica for having me on today's episode. You can find my own daily podcast at patreon.com slash WOKEAF and follow me on Twitter and Instagram at D2CENTS. Happy Pride, everyone. SPEAKER_00: WebG-Next requires financing new qualifying device and upgrading in good condition after six plus months with 50% paid off. Upgrade ends financing and any promo credits. CTMobile.com. SPEAKER_06: Do you hear it? The clock is ticking. It's time for the new season of 60 Minutes. The CBS News Sunday Night tradition is back for its 56th season with all new big name interviews, hard hitting investigations and epic adventures. No place, no one, no story is off limits and you'll always learn something new. It's time for 60 Minutes. 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