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Summary Of Anne M. Valk's Radical Sisters

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Anne M. Valk’s Radical Sisters examines the complexity of the black civil rights campaigns and second-wave feminism in Washington, D.C. during the 1960s and 1970s. Throughout the book, she explores the different relationships between numerous grass-roots movements and organizations, such as the D.C. Area Feminist Alliance, D.C. Women 's Liberation Movement, and Gay Liberation Front. Valk illustrates how various different women 's groups worked together, and not so together, during the "second wave" of feminism. Each chapter explains a different story of how despite these differences, there were many of the same ideas and practices between these various women 's organizations. The first chapter tells the story of Mary Treadwell, a middle-class African American woman that co-founded Pride, Inc. an organization for poor, young black men, and was involved with the antiwar movement, prison reform, and reproductive rights. In the various groups Treadwell was a part of, African American women were given small leadership roles and experienced sex discrimination. However, a few African American women in those groups broke those …show more content…

The fifth chapter hits on the tough subject of women and black liberation. There were many African American women that could address both group’s concerns, that referred to themselves as black feminists. The D.C. chapter of the National Black Feminist Organization focused on many of the same issues as the mainstream groups; for example, the Equal Rights Amendment and equal employment opportunities. Their organizational activities demonstrated how black women were trying to advance gender equality through ending racial oppression. The next chapter focuses on lesbian feminism, specifically a group called the Furies. Unlike the other groups mentioned in the book, the Furies “advocated more radical means to overthrow male supremacy and transform the world” (p. 135). However, despite their attempt and focus on inclusivity, the group remained mostly

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