Black Feminism in the 1970s: Community Organization, Achievement, and Reproductive Rights Activism
In: http://archives.gac.edu/cdm/ref/collection/irstudents/id/2112
In the following paper, I will expand upon these legislative and organizational actions to assert the role of Black women in reproductive politics. I will be using the term 'Black' to describe the women and the organizations to ensure that African American, African, or any other identifying women involved in the movement are included in my analysis. ; Black Feminism in the 1970s: Community Organization, Achievement, and Reproductive Rights Activism Greta VanOsdol HIS-300 Senior Thesis May 16, 2016 Thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Bachelor of Arts in History from Gustavus Adolphus College. Gustavus Student Repository - Thesis 1 Table of Contents I. Introduction 2 II. Background 4 III. Historiography 14 IV. Legislation 15 V. Organizations' Efforts 19 VI. National Organization for Women 21 VII. National Black Feminist Organization 24 a. Combahee River Collective 26 VIII. Black Opinions of Abortion 27 IX. Conclusion 32 Gustavus Student Repository - Thesis 2 "We believe that sexual politics under patriarchy is as pervasive in Black women's lives as are the politics of class and race. We often find it difficult to separate race from class from sex oppression because in our lives they are most often experienced simultaneously."1 Black women in the 1970s built a community through feminist organizations, educating other women on the availabilities of reproductive resources such as contraception and abortion due to their shared experiences and hardships. Black women have a unique relationship with reproductive rights due to a long history of forced sterilization and an inability to choose the time of pregnancy. Because of the lack of access to contraception and abortion, family planning was difficult for many women in the 1970s. Consequently, Black feminist organizations of the 1970s approached reproductive rights tentatively, aware that abortive procedures could turn into unwanted sterilization procedures.2 The 1973 Supreme Court case, Roe v. Wade, was groundbreaking in terms of ...