Califia Women: Feminist Education against Sexism, Classism, and Racism

contents

contents Preface ix introduction. Califia Community in Social Movement History 1 chapter 1. The Need for Community Education Projects 12 Postwar Inequalities 12 Educational Sexism 14 Radical Community Education Antecedents 18 Representative Feminist Institution Building 23 chapter 2. Founding, Fun, and Friction 34 Woman-Identification and Alternative Education 34 Learning from Sagaris 37 “Califia Community is the daughter of Sagaris” 41 The Draws for Califia Women 46 Transformative Fun 52 False Starts and Friction 58 (Utopian?) Search for Feminist Community 67 chapter 3. Interest in Women 69 Readiness for (Lesbian) Feminism 101 70 Resistance to Lesbian Feminism and Its Consequences 71 “Take Your Power!” 77 Speaking Out against a Culture of Male Violence and Contributing to the Sex Wars 79 The Boundaries of Alliances 84 The Status of Children and Agents of Abuse 90 “Patriarchy Made Simple” and U.S. Terrorism 95 chapter 4. Channeling Class Resentments 99 Class Context and Anticommunism 100 Reliance on Working-Class Experience 105 Classes of Impact 111 Feminist Class Consciousness amid the Feminization of Poverty 117 chapter 5. Antiracism to Get under the Skin 121 De Facto Segregation 121 Racism in Black and White 123 viii califia women Fateful Recruitment 125 Integrating Difference 127 Who Should Teach and Learn about Racism? 132 Ethnic Awareness 141 From CR to WWAR 144 Compromising on Bread-and-Butter Issues 145 chapter 6. The Right Attacks and Internal Divisions 149 Betty Brooks Besieged 150 Personal and Political Fallout over Custody 156 Women of Color Spaces 157 Beyond the Original Califia 164 Lesbian Feminists Attacked as Aiding the Right 169 Community Education Disrupted 174 conclusion. Enduring Legacies for “the Week” 175 Paths to the Weekend 179 Notes 185 References 221 Index 235 ...