Negro Women May Be Dangerous: Black Women’s Insurgent Activism in the Movement for Black Lives

Abstract

This article examines “insurgency” as a tradition within Black women’s activism in the United States. Connecting contemporary insurgent acts of Black women activists to their Black feminist foremothers, I explore a distinct genealogy of Black women’s radical activism. Anchored in intersectional praxes, committed to combating interlocking oppression, and warring against multiple jeopardy, Black women insurgents of the 21st century build on the work of Black women defiantly and unapologetically fighting against white heteropatriarchal capitalist supremacy. Using recent highly visible acts of Black women freedom fighters, I seek to reclaim “insurgency” as a mode of Black feminist resistance with historical precedence and contemporary relevance. Black women’s insurgent activism plays an integral role in the Movement for Black Lives. The depths of Black women’s commitment to insurgency is a propelling force in Black freedom dreams.