SAYHU Feminisms
Sometimes we are self-taught and sometimes our mentors, friends, and teachers share with us the writings of women of color feminists because they know the power of words that resonate. SAYHU and our broader community take as our foundation a Black feminist and transnational feminist approach to the work we do in community-building, social justice education, and archiving a South Asian experience in Texas. This feminism aligns with the beliefs articulated by the Combahee River Collective Statement, that “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.” SAYHU’s feminism values the telling of stories, mutual consent in our collaborations, and the sharing of experiences as we build connections across difference.
Feminist activists and scholars who we have named on this page have been essential to our education and perspectives around race, gender, patriarchy, anti-blackness, U.S. imperialism, immigrant and transnational identities, environmentalism, education, community accountability and more. Feminist theory drawn from the insights of feminist scholars, writers, artists and activists, inform our approach to teaching social justice in many ways. We believe, as Chandra Talpade Mohanty states, that “Feminist pedagogy should not simply expose students to a particularized academic scholarship but that it should also envision the possibility of activism and struggle outside the academy.” SAYHU is committed to applying what we know to be true about the world to our work in building feminist community.
Often SAYHU community members create spaces to discuss issues that we care about (including popular culture and South Asian identity in Texas) by organizing book groups or community hangouts. It’s a chance to get folks reading or viewing together--and talking to one another. If you want to get a SAYHU community conversation going, we can help. Please reach out to us. A meaningful SAYHU book (or article, or film) discussion can involve as few as 3 people. Five active members usually makes for a dynamic and in-depth conversation, while we have sometimes brought together as many as 10-15 enthusiastic SAYHU folks in dialogue around issues we care about. The women of color quoted on this page have influenced our thinking and each quote we’ve selected can certainly spark a full conversation. We hope these words will get you reflecting on the meaning and value of women of color feminism thought and give you a sense of why it might matter so much to SAYHU. Find below a list of recommended reading, particularly in black feminist thought and links to exceptional resources in this area. An even longer list of books focused on South Asians and social justice work listed on our SAYHU Library Wishlist.
Some SAYHU Recommended Readings in Feminist Theory
Many of the texts we value can be found available free online as pdfs―we have linked them when possible―or you might look for them via your local public library (online or off) and even available as audio books!
Feminism is for Everybody: Passionate Politics by bell hooks
Ain’t I A Woman: Black Women and Feminism by bell hooks
Feminism Without Borders: Decolonizing Theory, Practicing Solidarity By Chandra Talpade Mohanty
“Learning from the 60s.” Speech by Audre Lorde, delivered February 1982.
Zami, Sister Outsider, and Undersong by Audre Lorde
Queer (In)Justice: The Criminalization of LGBT People in the United States by Andrea Ritchie
Killing the black body by Dorothy Roberts
The Shape of the Beast by Arundhati Roy
Assata: An Autobiography by Assata Shakur
Other Texts
There are numerous blogs and audio/video resources and archives online where you can learn more. Here are a few by people we like!
Crunk Feminist Collective Blog is a space of support and camaraderie for hip hop generation feminists of color, queer and straight, in the academy and without, by building a rhetorical community, in which we can discuss our ideas, express our crunk feminist selves, fellowship with one another, debate and challenge one another, and support each other, as we struggle together to articulate our feminist goals, ideas, visions, and dreams.
Feminist Freedom Warriors is a digital video archive created by Chandra Talpade Mohanty and Linda Carty that features round-table discussions with feminist scholars and activists. It is an intergenerational effort and seeks to share the stories of, as Mohanty and Carty call them, “sister comrades”, that have worked towards and fought for social justice through actively engaging in anti-capitalist and anti-racist work.
Leaving Evidence is a blog by Mia Mingus, a writer, educator and community organizer for disability justice and transformative justice. She is a queer physically disabled korean transracial and transnational adoptee raised in the Caribbean.
