''Sisterhood Is Powerful: An Anthology of Writings from the Women's Liberation Movement'' is a 1970 anthology of

feminist Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideology, ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social gender equality, equality of the sexes. Feminism holds the position that modern soci ...

writings edited by

Robin Morgan Robin Morgan (born January 29, 1941) is an American poet, writer, activist, journalist, lecturer and former child actor. Since the early 1960s, she has been a key Radical feminism, radical feminist member of the American Feminist movement, Wom ...

, a feminist poet and founding member of

New York Radical Women New York Radical Women (NYRW) was an early second-wave radical feminist group that existed from 1967 to 1969. They drew nationwide media attention when they unfurled a banner inside the 1968 Miss America pageant displaying the words "Women ...

. It is one of the first widely available anthologies of

second-wave feminism Second-wave feminism was a period of feminist activity that began in the early 1960s and lasted roughly two decades, ending with the feminist sex wars in the early 1980s and being replaced by third-wave feminism in the early 1990s. It occurred ...

. It is both a consciousness-raising analysis and a call-to-action. '' Sisterhood Is Global: The International Women's Movement Anthology'' (1984) is the follow-up to ''Sisterhood Is Powerful''. After ''Sisterhood Is Global'' came its follow-up, '' Sisterhood Is Forever: The Women's Anthology for a New Millennium'' (2003).

Background

Kathie Sarachild Kathie Sarachild (born Kathie Amatniek; July 1943) is an American writer and radical feminist. In 1968, she took the last name "Sarachild" after her mother Sara. Kathie coined the phrase "Sisterhood is Powerful" in a flier she wrote for the keyn ...

coined the phrase "sisterhood is powerful" in 1968, in a flier she wrote for the keynote speech she gave for

's first public action at the convocation of the

Jeannette Rankin Jeannette Pickering Rankin (June 11, 1880 – May 18, 1973) was an American politician and women's rights advocate who became the first woman to hold federal office in the United States. She was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives as ...

Brigade.

The collection addresses several major issues including "the need for radical feminism, the discrimination women experienced from men in the political left, and the blatant sexism faced in the workplace." It includes classic feminist essays and writings by activists such as Naomi Weisstein,

Kate Millett Katherine Murray Millett (September 14, 1934 – September 6, 2017) was an American feminist writer, educator, artist, and activist. She attended the University of Oxford and was the first American woman to be awarded a degree with first-clas ...

Eleanor Holmes Norton Eleanor Holmes Norton (born June 13, 1937) is an American politician, lawyer, and human rights activist. Norton is a congressional delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives, where she has represented the District of Columbia since 1991 as ...

Florynce Kennedy Florynce Rae Kennedy (February 11, 1916 – December 21, 2000) was an American lawyer, radical feminist, civil rights advocate, lecturer, and activist. Early life Kennedy was born in Kansas City, Missouri, to Wiley Kennedy and Zella Rae Jackman ...

, Frances M. Beal, Lucinda Cisler, Joreen, Marge Piercy, Lynn Strongin, and Mary Daly, as well as historical documents including the N.O.W. Bill of Rights, excerpts from the

SCUM Manifesto ''SCUM Manifesto'' is a self-published manifesto by American radical feminist Valerie Solanas. Published in 1967, it argues that men have ruined the world, and that it is up to women to fix it. To achieve this goal, it suggests the formation of ...

, the Redstockings Manifesto, and historical documents from W.I.T.C.H. It also includes a document from the Black Women's Liberation Group from

Mount Vernon Mount Vernon is the former residence and plantation of George Washington, a Founding Father, commander of the Continental Army in the Revolutionary War, and the first president of the United States, and his wife, Martha. An American landmar ...

; this piece demonstrates the race-conscious "sisterhood" that some second-wave black feminists demanded and was used by many second-wave feminists to communicate this demand. It also includes what Morgan coined "verbal karate": useful quotes and statistics about women.

Reception

The anthology was cited by the

New York Public Library The New York Public Library (NYPL) is a public library system in New York City. With nearly 53 million items and 92 locations, the New York Public Library is the second-largest public library in the United States behind the Library of Congress a ...

as one of the "New York Public Library's Books of the 0thCentury". However, Chile, China and South Africa banned the anthology.

Legacy

The ''

Oxford English Dictionary The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' (''OED'') is the principal historical dictionary of the English language, published by Oxford University Press (OUP), a University of Oxford publishing house. The dictionary, which published its first editio ...

'' credits

with first using the term "

herstory Herstory is a term for history written from a feminist perspective and emphasizing the role of women, or told from a woman's point of view. It originated as an alteration of the word "history", as part of a feminist critique of conventional his ...

" in print in the book. Concerning the feminist organization W.I.T.C.H., Morgan wrote: :The fluidity and wit of the witches is evident in the ever-changing acronym: the basic, original title was Women's International Terrorist Conspiracy from Hell ..and the latest heard at this writing is Women Inspired to Commit Herstory." Morgan established the first American feminist grant-giving organization, The Sisterhood Is Powerful Fund, with the royalties from ''Sisterhood Is Powerful''.

In popular culture

In a 2019

Paris Fashion Week Paris Fashion Week (, commonly ) is a series of designer presentations held semi-annually in Paris, France, with spring/summer and autumn/winter events held each year. Dates are determined by the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode. Pa ...

show,

Christian Dior Christian Ernest Dior (; 21 January 1905 – 24 October 1957) was a French fashion designer and founder of one of the world's top fashion houses, Dior, Christian Dior SE. His fashion house is known all around the world, having gained promi ...

's creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri debuted a collection of T-shirts that read ''Sisterhood Is Powerful'', ''Sisterhood Is Global'' and ''Sisterhood Is Forever'', respectively. The 2016

coming-of-age Coming of age is a young person's transition from being a child to being an adult. The specific age at which this transition takes place varies between societies, as does the nature of the change. It can be a simple legal convention or can b ...

film '' 20th Century Women'' prominently features the book, being lent to Jamie ( Lucas Jade Zumann) by Abbie ( Greta Gerwig).

References

External links

''Sisterhood Is Powerful''
!-- Robin Morgan's official website --> {{Radical feminism 1970 non-fiction books American anthologies Books edited by Robin Morgan English-language non-fiction books Feminist books Eleanor Holmes Norton Radical feminist books Second-wave feminism in the United States Vintage Books books