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Difficulty: EasyBlack Feminist and Womanist Movements

Read the following excerpt from the Combahee River Collective Statement (1977):

"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."

Which of the following statements best describes the primary goal of the Combahee River Collective as expressed in this excerpt?

  1. A
    Achieving gender equality for women within existing legal structures without addressing racial or economic systems.
  2. Dismantling all interlocking forms of oppression to ensure the liberation of all marginalized groups.Answer
  3. C
    Separating Black women's activism from struggles against class-based or racial oppression.
  4. D
    Prioritizing the demands of mainstream white feminist organizations over local community issues.

Answer

Dismantling all interlocking forms of oppression to ensure the liberation of all marginalized groups.
The correct answer is correct because the Combahee River Collective argued that because Black women stand at the intersection of race, gender, class, and sexual oppression, their liberation requires dismantling all of these systems. Since these systems are interlocking, freeing Black women would necessitate the eradication of oppression for all people.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the provided excerpt from the Combahee River Collective Statement to identify the core message.
The statement asserts that the freedom of Black women requires the destruction of all systems of oppression, which in turn leads to the freedom of everyone.
Understanding the logic of the source material is the first step in identifying the correct interpretation.
2
Relate the collective's message to the concept of interlocking systems of oppression (intersectionality).
Black feminists recognized that race, gender, class, and sexual orientation are connected systems of oppression that cannot be separated.
This provides the theoretical framework needed to evaluate the options.
3
Evaluate the choices to find the one that matches this holistic approach to liberation rather than a single-issue focus.
The statement expressing the goal of dismantling all interlocking forms of oppression is the correct choice.
It directly captures the excerpt's argument that universal liberation is tied to the elimination of all oppressive systems.

Key Concept

Black Feminist and Womanist Movements
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Topics

Black Feminist and Womanist Movements

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