Want to Start a Revolution?: Radical Women in the Black Freedom Struggle

Acknowledgments

vii Acknowledgments This book is dedicated to the women whose activism is the subject of this collection. Through all manner of economic, physical, and psychic repression, they continued to believe a different world was possible and worked tirelessly to make it so. We would like to thank all the contributors to this book for their dedication to this project, their marvelous chapters that return the story of women’s radicalism to the history of the postwar era, and the political commitments that guide their work. Debbie Gershenowitz is the kind of visionary editor all scholars wish for. She has been with us since the beginning , and we are immensely grateful. Gabrielle Begue shepherded this project through its myriad stages, a Herculean task for a collection with fifteen authors. Despina P. Gimbel’s careful attention to detail guided this book through production. Leroy Henderson agreed to allow us to use his striking photo on the cover—an essay in and of itself. The Program in Women’s Studies and the Shirley Chisholm Center at Brooklyn College helped us hold a conference that brought us together for a productive two days of discussion and reflection. DFG, JT, and KW A number of friends and colleagues have provided deep insight and unflagging support. In particular, my new work on Rosa Parks has only been possible through a wide community of people who have impressed upon me the need for this project and helped me see the radical Rosa in new ways. Infinite gratitude goes to Gaston Alonso, Susan Artinian, Adina Back, Matthew Countryman, Emilye Crosby, Prudence Cumberbatch, Johanna Fernandez, Arnold Franklin, Brenna Greer, Wesley Hogan, Ira Katznelson, the Honorable Judge Damon Keith, Chana Kai Lee, Alejandra Marchevsky, Karen Miller, Mojubaolu Okome, Annelise Orleck, Celina Su, and the entire Theoharis family. Finally, in a profession that does not always encourage collectivity, Dayo Gore and Komozi Woodard stand in viii Acknowledgments stark contrast. They show me again and again the power of collaboration in creating richer intellectual work and in modeling the kind of academy we can be proud to be a part of. JT Vicki Garvin dedicated her life to the protracted struggle for liberation. Her willingness, almost ten years ago, to share some of this history with me has served as continued inspiration and motivation. My work on Garvin has been greatly enriched by the insights of those who knew her. Miranda Bergman and Lincoln Bergman have been unbelievably generous with their support, sharing personal memories, responding to numerous e-mails, and providing invaluable documentation of Vicki Garvin’s life. I am also grateful to Thelma Dale for talking with me about her work and friendship with Vicki, and to Ajamu Dillihunt and Dennis O’Neil. Friends, colleagues, and loved ones have provided much needed professional and personal support, as well as helpful insights as the project has moved along. Thanks to the “Forbes Posse,” Jamila Gore and the entire Gore family, Christina Hanhardt, Lili Kim, Andy Terranova, and the faculty and staff of the Women’s Studies Program at the University of Massachusetts–Amherst. Jeanne Theoharis and Komozi Woodard’s unwavering commitment to this project has been inspiring. Their generosity and investment in the collective process serve as a powerful reminder that scholarship—at its best—is grounded in community and exchange. Finally, a special acknowledgment is due Arianne Miller. Her intellect, encouragement , and love have helped me to stay the course. DFG I mourn the loss of Vicki Garvin, Adina Back, Aunt Mary Woodward, and Bonnie Shullenberger. Adina Back’s work on women in the black freedom movement helps set the pace for this scholarship. And I mourn the loss of Bonnie Shullenberger, who spent a rich life fighting for social justice. Aunt Mary helped me understand the Long Black Renaissance. For me, Vicki Garvin was the beginning of my insight into revolutionary women’s history and the organizing tradition they fashioned for black liberation. She was not only my teacher but also a comrade of Malcolm X, W. E. B. Du Bois, Paul Robeson, and Claudia Jones. The Woodard family has always supported my intellectual development , including the insights about history in this volume. My father, Theodore Woodward, and my uncle, Thomas Woodward, listened and guided Acknowledgments ix me though my rethinking of black social history last year. My Sarah Lawrence College community is always at the center of my intellectual work; but special thanks goes to the...