Order Description

Of course intersectionality—or efforts to think, analyze, organize as we recognize
the interconnections of race, class, gender, and sexuality—has evolved a great
deal over the last decades. I see my work as reflecting not an individual analysis,
but rather a sense within movements and collectives that it was not possible to
separate issues of race from issues of class and issues of gender.
ANGELA Y. DAVIS, FREEDOM IS A CONSTANT STRUGGLE: FERGUSON,
PALESTINE, AND THE FOUNDATIONS OF A MOVEMENT, 2016
Black humanity and dignity requires Black political will and power. Despite
constant exploitation and perpetual oppression, Black people have bravely and
brilliantly been the driving force pushing the U.S. towards the ideals it articulates
but has never achieved. In recent years we have taken to the streets, launched
massive campaigns, and impacted elections, but our elected leaders have failed to
address the legitimate demands of our Movement. We can no longer wait.
MOVEMENT FOR BLACK LIVES, A VISION FOR BLACK LIVES: POLICY
DEMANDS FOR BLACK POWER, FREEDOM, AND JUSTICE, AUGUST, 1,
2016
Overview and Objectives
The Movement for Black Lives (M4BL) issued “The Vision for Black Lives: Policy Demands
for Black Power, Freedom, and Justice” at the end of its gathering held in Cleveland, Ohio, on
August 1, 2016. Organizers called the conference in response to growing violence against black
communities across the United States and world. More than 50 grassroots organizations
representing thousands of black people from across the United States attended the gathering.
Black women and LGBTQ people were highly visible at the meeting. Understanding black
oppression in intersectional and transnational terms, “Visions for Black Lives” offers a powerful
and inclusive definition of freedom for creating a more just and democratic world.
Students are to write a 1000-word essay that summarizes “A Vision for Black Lives: Policy
Demands for Black Power, Freedom, and Justice” and contextualizes it within a broader history
of twentieth-century African American women’s activism. Your papers should address the
following questions: What does M4BL want? How does a “Vision for Black Lives” understand
the meaning of freedom? How are the statement’s demands in conversation with the praxis of
black women protestors from the turn of the twentieth-century onward? In other words, how is
the statement’s vision for freedom similar to and different from the work carried out by black
women in women’s club, the church, the Communist Party, Civil Rights-Black Power
organizations, and black feminist organizations of the 1970s. In sum, use “Vision for Black
Lives” as a framework for thinking about the longer history of U.S. black women’s activism and
the continuing struggle of black people in particular and all people in general for full freedom
and dignity.
Requirements and Guidelines
Your paper must provide a must include an insightful thesis, an engaging introduction, strong
and logical organization, plenty of detailed examples to support your claims, a thoughtful
conclusion, and perfect grammar. Stylistically, avoid long, wordy sentences and inflated
language. Write succinctly. Use the active voice and quote sparingly. Develop a title that clearly
identifies your paper’s subject matter and main argument. Your essay must be stapled, double
spaced, and typed in 12-point Times New Roman font, and must have 1.25 inch margins. Your
essay must include proper citations and a work cited page.
Grading
Papers will be graded according to the following criteria:
? Organization and clarity
? Ample use of evidence from required reading
? Incorporation of key themes and theoretical concepts (e.g. black feminism,
intersectionality, respectability, queer, heteronormativity, diaspora, transnationalism,
politics of solidarity, etc. ) discussed in class
? Grammar and style
? Creativity
? Effective title
? Proper citations

Required Texts:
Assata Shakur, Assata: An Autobiography (Chicago: Lawrence Hill Books, 1987)*

Angela Y. Davis, Freedom Is a Constant Struggle: Ferguson, Palestine, and the Foundations of
a Movement (Chicago: Haymarket, 2016)

Wanda A. Hendricks, Fannie Barrier Williams:
Crossing the Borders of Region and Race
(Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 2014)*

Erik S. McDuffie, Sojourning for Freedom: Black Women, American Com