AFS 125 Black Women's Activism

Across the centuries, Black women have played a foundational role in the struggle for Black Freedom. In an effort to analyze this role, this course will explore the varied efforts employed by Black women to build greater freedom for themselves and the communities in which they live and work. The class will span the period from era of slavery to the present moment and will center the various manifestations of activism crafted by Black Women. We will explore the multiple ways Black women challenged inequality and injustice in the arenas of race, class, gender and sexual identity. Centering mainly historical scholarship on black women activists as an entryway, students will learn about Black women’s activism on a range of issues, spanning various eras and ideological perspectives, including slave revolts, abolition, the anti-lynching movement, the civil rights and black power eras, and contemporary Movement for Blacks Lives. Using primary and secondary sources, films, oral interviews, social media and other resources, students will grapple with the living legacy of Black women’s activism.