Linda Burnham (born 1948) is an American journalist, activist, and leader in women's rights movements, particularly with organizations and projects serving and advocating for women of color.

Early life and family

Burnham was born in 1948, to parents who were active in the

Young Communist League The Young Communist League (YCL) is the name used by the youth wing of various Communist parties around the world. The name ''YCL of ountry' originates from the precedent established by the Communist Youth International. Examples of YCLs includ ...

, and then the Southern Negro Youth Congress, in the 1930s and 1940s. Her father was Louis E. Burnham, an activist and journalist. She grew up in Brooklyn, New York, and graduated from

Reed College Reed College is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Portland, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1908, Reed is a residential college with a campus in the Eastmoreland, Portland, Oregon, E ...

in 1968.

Career

As a journalist and political activist, Burnham has been a leader and member with the

Venceremos Brigade The Venceremos Brigade is an international organization founded in 1969 by members of the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) and officials of the Republic of Cuba. It was formed as a coalition of young people to show solidarity with the Cub ...

, the Third World Women's Alliance, the Alliance Against Women's Oppression, the Angela Davis Defense Committee, and the Line of March. She co-founded the Women of Color Resource Center in

Oakland, California Oakland is a city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. It is the county seat and most populous city in Alameda County, California, Alameda County, with a population of 440,646 in 2020. A major We ...

in 1990 and served as its executive director for eighteen years. Burnham is currently the National Research Director for the

National Domestic Workers Alliance The National Domestic Workers Alliance is an advocacy organization promoting the rights of domestic workers in the United States. Founded in 2007, it is made up of 4 local chapters and 63 affiliate organizations around the country, along with tho ...

. Burnham led women of color delegations to the 1985 UN World Conference on Women in Nairobi, the 1995 UN World Conference on Women in Beijing, China, and the 2001 United Nations World Conference Against Racism in Durban, South Africa. Burnham is featured in the 2014 feminist history film ''

She's Beautiful When She's Angry ''She's Beautiful When She's Angry'' is a 2014 American documentary film about some of the women involved in the second-wave feminism, second-wave feminist movement in the United States. It was directed by Mary Dore and co-produced by Nancy Ken ...

.''

Awards

She was nominated in 2005 as one of the 1000 Peace Women for the Nobel Prize and was the 2007-8 Twink Frey Visiting Social Activist at the Center for the Education of Women,

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

Publications

* Burnham, L., & Wing, B. (1981). ''Toward a communist analysis of Black oppression and Black liberation''. Place of publication not identified: publisher not identified. *Burnham, L. (March 1, 1985). Has Poverty Been Feminized in Black America?. ''The Black Scholar, 16,'' 2, 14–24. *Burnham, L., & Gustafson, K. (2000). ''Working hard, staying poor: Women and children in the wake of welfare "reform"''. Berkeley, CA: Women of Color Center. *Burnham, L. (January 1, 2001). Welfare reform, family hardship, and women of color. ''Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science,'' 38–48. *Burnham, L. (2001). ''The wellspring of Black feminist theory''. Oakland, CA: Women of Color Resource Center. *Burnham, L. (2002). ''Racism in U.S. welfare policy: A human rights issue''. Oakland, CA: Women of Color Resource Center. *Burnham, L. (December 1, 2008). Obama's Candidacy: The Advent of Post-Racial America and the End of Black Politics?. ''The Black Scholar, 38,'' 4, 43–46. *Burnham, L., Theodore, N., & Ehrenreich, B. (2012). ''Home economics: The invisible and unregulated world of domestic work''. New York: National Domestic Workers Alliance * "Lean in and One Percent Feminism." Portside, March 26 (2013).

References

External links

Linda Burnham papers
at the

Sophia Smith Collection The Sophia Smith Collection at Smith College is an internationally recognized repository of manuscripts, photographs, periodicals and other primary sources in women's history. General One of the largest recognized repositories of manuscripts, a ...

, Smith College Special Collections
Linda Burnham oral history
interviewed by

Loretta Ross Loretta J. Ross (born August 16, 1953) is an American academic, feminist, and activist who advocates for reproductive justice, especially among women of color. As an activist, Ross has written on reproductive justice activism and the history of Af ...

"1% Feminism", by Linda Burnham
{{DEFAULTSORT:Burnham, Linda 1948 births Living people Reed College alumni 20th-century American journalists 20th-century American women journalists 21st-century American journalists 21st-century American women journalists American feminist writers African-American activists 20th-century African-American women writers 20th-century American women writers 20th-century African-American writers 21st-century African-American women writers 21st-century American women writers 21st-century African-American writers