Abstract
Abstract: This article examines the African American queer radical feminist activist, Ernestine Eckstein, a daughter of the South born in the urban cultural center of Memphis, Tennessee and raised in the Midwest in South Bend, Indiana. This work explores the numerous barriers Eckstein faced due to her multiple intersecting identities. Drawing on oral history, archival records, magazine articles, and newspaper articles, as well as secondary literature, this work contributes to and enhances our understanding of Black and queer histories. I investigate the radical tools of resistance Eckstein employed to challenge systems of oppression constructed by white supremacy including racism, sexism, and misogynoir. Spanning a short historical era, from the mid-to-late 20th century, I explore Eckstein's political awakening and crucial role in the fight against sexual and racial discrimination. Centering Eckstein's life and activism expands ideas and understandings of Black womanhood and highlights discrimination within African American and gay and lesbian communities. In this article I center Eckstein as a fighter for equality in her own narrative rather than at the margins of queer white history and heteronormative Black women's history.
Published Version
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