AmaryllisTV

i have never taken a “women’s studies” class.
16 05 2010

but I am a woman. a black woman. a boricua. a queer woman. and I know in my heart my need to fight for, love with, stand with and be in solidarity with other women. some might call this feminism. and after years of reading books, working at rape crisis centers, domestic violence shelters and going back to school for my master’s in social work, I will call it feminism too. in thinking about feminism, I was brought back to the moment when I read the combahee river collective statement. that ah-hah moment of head nodding and recognition. that moment of gratefulness in knowing. in feeling less alone…I have been thinking about how i came to feminism (strongly) without a classroom in a desire to make sense of my own life. my undergraduate degree is in classical voice performance. i was not particularly political around “women’s” issues in college, except the lgbt student union and the occasional howard university rally/march. but the more work i did in my community, the more i became obsessed with trying to understand and name the dynamics i was experiencing.