The National Black Feminist Organization (NBFO) was founded in 1973. The group worked to address the unique issues affecting black women in America.Wilma Pearl Mankiller. The Reader's Companion to U.S. Women's History, Houghton Mifflin Books, 1998 , p203 Founding members included

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 an African-American family. Her ...

Michele Wallace Michele Faith Wallace (born January 4, 1952) is a black feminist author, cultural critic, and daughter of artist Faith Ringgold. She is best known for her 1979 book ''Black Macho and the Myth of the Superwoman''. Wallace's writings on literature, ...

, Faith Ringgold, Doris Wright and

Margaret Sloan-Hunter Margaret Sloan-Hunter (May 31, 1947 – September 23, 2004) was a Black feminist, lesbian, civil rights advocate, and one of the early editors of ''Ms.'' magazine. Early life Margaret Sloan-Hunter was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee on May 31 ...

. They borrowed the office of the New York City chapter of the

National Organization for Women The National Organization for Women (NOW) is an American feminist organization. Founded in 1966, it is legally a 501(c)(4) social welfare organization. The organization consists of 550 chapters in all 50 U.S. states and in Washington, D.C. It ...

. According to Wallace, a contributing author to the anthology ''All the Women Are White, All the Blacks Are Men, But Some Of Us Are Brave: Black Women's Studies'', Wright "called (the first) meeting to discuss Black women and their relationship to the Feminist Movement."

History

One of two earliest organizations formed in the Black feminist movement, the National Black Feminist Organization clearly reflected the goals put forth in the Combahee River Collective Statement, which was being developed at around the same time by some of the same women.But Some of Us Are Brave: A History of Black Feminism in the United States; interview with Robbie McCauley by Alex Schwall. 2004 The 1973 Statement of Purpose for the NBFO declared the organization was formed, "to address ourselves to the particular and specific needs of the larger, but almost cast-aside half of the black race in America, the black woman." Members of the NBFO such as

and many others were culled from the

civil rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and political life o ...

/ Black Power movement and the

feminist movement The feminist movement (also known as the women's movement, or feminism) refers to a series of social movements and political campaigns for radical and liberal reforms on women's issues created by the inequality between men and women. Such ...

. Many of the members did not feel completely accepted in either camp. They felt that the white women who dominated the feminist movement had internalized racist,

white supremacist White supremacy or white supremacism is the belief that white people are superior to those of other races and thus should dominate them. The belief favors the maintenance and defense of any power and privilege held by white people. White s ...

beliefs and that many were guilty of overt racial discrimination. The women active in the civil rights movement fared no better; their leadership was frequently ignored, downplayed, or challenged. They were also expected to subordinate themselves to the men in the movement and were frequently relegated to menial tasks. Lesbians had to deal with the homophobia or

Lesbophobia Lesbophobia comprises various forms of prejudice and negativity towards lesbians as individuals, as couples, or as a social group. Based on the categories of sex, sexual orientation, identity, and gender expression, this negativity encompasse ...

prevalent in both movements. Brenda Eichelberger, one of the founding members of the Chicago chapter said this in an undated interview, "...I didn't know any other black woman felt the way that I did about feminism. I knew white women who were my friends, but they didn't have the added oppression of race. A lot of black groups were macho. I couldn't completely identify with any group. Anyway, all I need to know was that one woman anywhere who felt like I did..

The NBFO focused its energies on the interconnectedness of many prejudices that faced African-American women: racism, sexism, classism, homophobia, and Lesbophobia. The women elected

, one of the early editors of Ms. Magazine and an associate of

Gloria Steinem Gloria Marie Steinem (; born March 25, 1934) is an American journalist and social-political activist who emerged as a nationally recognized leader of second-wave feminism in the United States in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Steinem was a c ...

, as their chair. In 1974, the group was interviewed on the Ms. Magazine television program,

Woman Alive! ''Woman Alive!'' was a feminist television show resulting from a collaboration between ''Ms. Magazine'' and American public television. It consisted of one pilot episode (1974) and two series (1975 and 1977). Background In 1974, ''Ms. Magazine' ...

about their historic first convention.“Feminini-TV”
(June, 1974). Texas Monthly. They then established chapters in several U.S. cities including Chicago and New York.

Important events

November 30th-December 2nd

400 women attended the first regional conference of NBFO in NYC at the cathedral of St. John the divine. This date is important because it was at this conference where ten chapters were established. The ten chapters went on to spread over across other areas in the United States making the NBFO a more successful organization.

1974-Boston Chapter: Combahee River Collective

The Boston chapter of the NBFO breaks away from the main organization to form the

Combahee River Collective The Combahee River Collective ( ) was a Black feminist lesbian socialist organization active in Boston from 1974 to 1980. Marable, Manning; Leith Mullings (eds), ''Let Nobody Turn Us Around: Voices of Resistance, Reform, and Renewal'', Combahee ...

to work in a smaller group to more successfully approach issues, such as sexuality and economic development. The C.R.C. wrote in their 1977 statement that they "had serious disagreements with NBFO's bourgeois-feminist stance and their lack of a clear political focus."

Predecessor movements

The group, now defunct, stopped operating on a national level in 1975 with the last local chapter ending in 1980. In her

Feminist history Feminist history refers to the re-reading of history from a woman’s perspective. It is not the same as the history of feminism, which outlines the origins and evolution of the feminist movement. It also differs from women's history, which ...

, ''Daring to Be Bad: Radical Feminism in America, 1967-1975'', cultural critic Alice Echols quotes E. Frances White's essay ''Listening to the Voices of Black Feminism'', "Some attribute the National Black Feminist Organization's demise to its inability to reach any workable consensus around what constituted a Black feminist politic." After the NBFO was dissolved in 1975, Brenda Eichelberger continued her activism with the Chicago chapter of the NBFO by starting the National Alliance of Black Feminists in 1976. The new organization worked to further the goal of achieving full equality for black women whilst accepting diversity in its membership. It quickly expanded with a strong membership base and operated through 1997

References

External links

The NBFO's 1973 statement of purpose
{{authority control African-American feminism Feminist organizations in the United States African-American women's organizations Women's organizations based in the United States 1973 establishments in the United States Organizations established in 1973 Organizations based in New York (state)