Happily Doing Feminism: African Americans Putting Theory into Everyday Practice

Aaronette White, UC Santa Cruz
(4 p.m. reception; 4:30 p.m. lecture)***

This presentation uses concrete examples to illuminate the ways in which African Americans practice feminism on a day-to-day basis. Drawing from a forthcoming collection of essays, entitled African Americans Doing Feminism, the talk illustrates real-life situations of feminism in action, tackling a range of issues including personal finances, parenting, sexual harassment, reproductive freedom, incest, depression, addiction and romantic relationships. The talk reveals how feminist principles affect people’s perceptions of their ability to change themselves and society, because the personal is not always self-evidently political.