Collected is a project of the African American History Curatorial Collective at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. This podcast offers compelling and accessible journeys through topics in African American history that are particularly relevant today. Season one looks at contemporary Black Feminism.

What is Black Feminism? Co-hosts Dr. Crystal Moten and Dr. Krystal Klingenberg kick off this season of the podcast with a discussion of the multiple definitions of Black Feminism joined by guests Dr. Brittney Cooper, Paris Hatcher, Dr. Alexis Pauline Gumbs, and Feminista Jones. Outlining the historical context that created this response to the conditions Black women face in society at-large, Crystal and Krystal preview the season’s main topics: self-care, intersectionality, the collective, and identity politics, and address why these concepts need to be reconnected with the writers and contexts of their creation. Find more information at s.si.edu/collected.

What is a collective and how is that type of group important to Black feminist organizing? In this episode, Crystal and Krystal discuss the meaning of the term “collective” and hear from Black feminist luminary Barbara Smith about the history she and others made with formation of the landmark Combahee River Collective. Guests Dr. Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, Feminista Jones, Dr. Brittney Cooper, Dr. Alexis Pauline Gumbs, and Dr. Courtney Marshall help us understand the power of collectivity and the legacy of Combahee.

Find more information at s.si.edu/collected. 

What is “identity politics” and where does this term come from? In this episode, Crystal and Krystal go deeper into the work of the Combahee River Collective and examine its impactful 1977 statement outlining the key elements of Black feminist thought. We hear more from Black Feminism foremother Barbara Smith on how the statement was written and guests Drs. Brittney Cooper, Alexis Pauline Gumbs, and Duchess Harris on the meaning of identity politics as the Combahee River Collective articulated it. Find more information at s.si.edu/collected.

In tough times we all need to be sure to take care of ourselves, but when it comes to Black Feminism, what is the meaning of self-care? In this episode, we discuss the term self-care in the context of the work of writer and activist Audre Lorde and the way it gets repurposed to mean self-pampering. Guests Dr. Alexis Pauline Gumbs, Feminista Jones, Dr. Courtney Marshall, Paris Hatcher, Charlene Carruthers, Dr. Brittney Cooper, and Raquel Willis reveal the political importance of self-care to Black feminists and its connection to community care. And Crystal and Krystal discuss the meaning of self-care in their own lives. Find more information at s.si.edu/collected.

What is intersectionality and how does it help us understand the way oppression works in society? In this episode, Crystal and Krystal discuss the concept of intersectionality as defined by legal scholar Kimberlé Crenshaw and the longer history of its usage. Guests Raquel Willis, Barbara Smith, and Dr. Duchess Harris help enrich our understanding of where the concept came from and the way it has evolved over time.

Find more information at s.si.edu/collected. 

We’ve now seen where the framework of Black Feminism has come from, but where is it headed? In this episode, Crystal and Krystal talk about how Black feminist thinkers, practitioners, and organizers understand the present and future of Black feminism. In discussion with guests Paris Hatcher, Barbara Smith, Dr. Brittney Cooper, Raquel Willis, Dr. Duchess Harris, Charlene Carruthers, Dr. Alexis Pauline Gumbs, and Feminista Jones, we review what topics are of concern to Black feminists today and how Black women may organize for change going forward.

Find more information at s.si.edu/collected.