Legacies of Black Feminist Activism in the US South

Abstract

This chapter centres the lives and work of Southern Black women and movement work based in Southern Black feminism to elucidate the profound and rich impact of Southern Black women in reshaping the social, political, and economic landscape of the South and the United States more broadly. Only recently has geography considered the role of Black women in the production of space. Previous engagements with Black women’s lives, especially Black women in the South, have only been done in monolithic terms. Through examining the lives of Black women and the work of three Southern-based movement organizations, the chapter demonstrates how ingrained Black feminist activist legacies in Southern histories and geographies are, with attention to movement work entrenched in systems developed by Black women and prioritizing connectivity, community, care, and dignity.