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.
All month, we're celebrating Pride. Tune in to hear about amazing members of the LGBTQIA+ community.
Every weekday, listeners explore the trials, tragedies, and triumphs of groundbreaking women throughout history who have dramatically shaped the world around us. In each 5 minute episode, we’ll dive into the story behind one woman listeners may or may not know -- but definitely should. These diverse women from across space and time are grouped into easily accessible and engaging monthly themes like Leading Ladies, Activists, STEMinists, Local Legends, and many more. Encyclopedia Womannica is hosted by WMN co-founder and award-winning journalist Jenny Kaplan. The bite-sized episodes pack painstakingly researched content into fun, entertaining, and addictive daily adventures.
Encyclopedia Womannica was created by Liz Kaplan and Jenny Kaplan, executive produced by Jenny Kaplan, and produced by Liz Smith, Grace Lynch, Maddy Foley, Brittany Martinez, Edie Allard and Lindsey Kratochwill. Special thanks to Shira Atkins, Carmen Borca-Carrillo, Taylor Williamson, Ale Tejeda, and Sundus Hassan.
We are offering free ad space on Wonder Media Network shows to organizations working towards social justice. For more information, please email Jenny at jenny@wondermedianetwork.com.
Follow Wonder Media Network:
Hi! I’m Danielle Moodie, host of the podcast Woke AF Daily. I’m so excited to be the guest host for today’s episode of Encyclopedia Womannica.
As a Black queer woman that cut her teeth in politics during the fight for marriage equality, I have always recognized the power of our amazing foremothers and the deep gratitude I have for the paths they have blazed that I now travel.
Today’s queer icon 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. Let’s talk about Barbara Smith.
Barbara was born on December 16, 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 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 multi-faceted 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 a 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, Barabara 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, Audre Lorde, 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 U.S.
Kitchen Table published seminal work that is still studied today -- including the anthology “This 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.
All month, Encyclopedia Womannica is celebrating Pride.
To get Womannica in your inbox, check out the Womannica Weekly newsletter.
Follow Encyclopedia Womannica on Facebook and Instagram @encyclopediawomannica.
Special thanks to Encyclopedia Womannica for having me on today’s episode.
You can find my own daily podcast at Patreon.com/WokeAF, and follow me on Twitter and Instagram @DeeTwoCents.
Happy Pride!