How We Get Free

Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor's book, How We Get Free, explores radical black feminism and how black women are oppressed socially and politically. One of the main points in Taylor's book is how the major systems of oppression are all interlocked and the means by which the Combahee River Collective choose to deal with these oppressions. The CRC Statement explains, "The most general statement of our politics at the present time would be that we are actively committed to struggling against racial, sexual, heterosexual, and class oppression, and see our particular task the development of integrated analysis and practice based upon the fact that the major systems of oppression are interlocking" (pg. 15). Later in the statement, the CRC gives an example of these interlocking oppressions. The Statement mentions, "We struggle together with Black men against racism, we also struggle with Black men about sexism" (pg. 19). Both black men and women are facing the terrors of racism in the United States, but black women are also facing the oppression of just men in general. This is why it is so difficult for these women to battle these oppressions. They are trying to battle many oppressions at once (pg. 22).  The CRC also add, "If Black women were free, it would mean that everyone else would have to be free since our freedom would necessitate the destruction of all the systems of oppression" (pg. 23). The CRC believes if they can dismantle all these oppressions black women would finally be free, and if they were free everyone else would be too. This was a very interesting read for me because, in high school, we were never taught anything about this radical black feminist movement. I believe it should be taught because it is something not touched upon enough and it should be because it's very alarming to think about. Lastly, it should be taught because I believe it was an integral part of the racial progress in America. 

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