February is Black History Month! A time to honor the leadership, scholarship, and activism of African Americans whose contributions have shaped our nation. In this episode of the Advancing Women Podcast, we center and celebrate the Black women whose intellectual and political leadership fundamentally transformed feminism and continue to shape the ongoing work of gender equity.
Too often, the history of the women’s movement highlights figures like Stanton and Anthony while overlooking the central role Black women played in abolition, suffrage, civil rights, and feminist thought. Long before the term intersectionality was coined, Black women were living and articulating the layered realities of racism, sexism, classism, and homophobia.
We begin with the powerful words of Sojourner Truth and her 1851 “Ain’t I a Woman?” speech, and we explore the evolution of the feminist movement through its three waves. We examine how Black feminist thought reshaped and expanded mainstream feminism during the 1960s and 1970s. We honor leaders such as:
- bell hooks, who defined feminism as “a movement to end sexism, sexist exploitation, and oppression.”
- Audre Lorde, who reminded us, “I am not free while any woman is unfree.”
- Shirley Chisholm, the first Black woman elected to Congress, whose legacy of being “Unbought and Unbossed” redefined feminist leadership.
- Kimberlé Crenshaw, who coined the term intersectionality and warned that when movements fail to be intersectional, the most vulnerable fall through the cracks.
- Angela Davis, whose lifelong commitment to justice reminds us that equity work is not a moment…it’s a movement.
- Maya Angelou, whose words call us forward: “Take up the battle. It is yours.”
This episode examines why Black feminism is foundational to inclusive leadership, and why intersectionality is essential to advancing women. If we are not intersectional, we are not advancing all women.
If we are not advancing all women, we are not advancing women!
This conversation is about honoring legacy, not just in February, but always. It is about recognizing that the unfinished work of equity requires courage, scholarship, service, and collective responsibility.
Because together, we rise.
If this episode resonated with you, share it with a colleague, a student, or a friend. The work of advancing women requires all of us.
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18 min