ABSTRACT
A distinguishing feature of US Black feminist thought emerges from a tension linking experiences and ideas. As a critical social theory, Black feminist thought aims to empower African-American women within the context of social injustice sustained by intersecting oppressions. Despite the common challenges confronting US Black women as a group, diverse responses to these core themes characterize US Black women’s group knowledge or standpoint. The version of Black feminism that US Black women have developed certainly must be understood in the context of US nation-state politics. To look for Black feminism by searching for US Black women who self-identify as “Black feminists” misses the complexity of how Black feminist practice actually operates. Many contemporary Black women intellectuals continue to draw on this tradition of using everyday actions and experiences in our theoretical work. In order for Black feminist thought to operate effectively within Black feminism as a social justice project, both must remain dynamic.
