Women, Race & Class

In this essential work, Angela Davis examines the history of racism, classism, and elitism within feminism, from abolitionist movements to the present. She shows how these divisions repeatedly undermined efforts toward collective liberation, even as figures such as the Grimké sisters and Frederick Douglass championed Black women’s rights and women’s suffrage.

Davis explores the contributions and contradictions of civil and women’s rights activists, Communist women, and figures including Emmett Till and Margaret Sanger. Connecting this history to contemporary struggles over sexual violence, reproductive freedom, housework, and child care, she reveals how racial and economic inequality continues to shape the feminist movement.