"Our Survival Hope": Geneva Crenshaw as Derrick Bell's Womanist Muse

This article explores the connections between Derrick Bell's critical race theory and the theory of womanism as articulated by Layli Maparyan. To consider the impact of storytelling in addressing issues of social oppression, I explore the fictional storytelling of Derrick Bell for evidence of womanist influence. Specifically, I examine the character Geneva Crenshaw as Bell's womanist muse. My argument builds on both critical race theory and womanist theory to propose new directions for social justice scholarship in women's and gender studies. When these theories are put into conversation with one another, Bell's critical race theory and Maparyan's womanism intersect to demonstrate new ways of writing and theorizing that advance the theoretical goals of critical race theory, womanism, and women's and gender studies scholarship more generally. In the connections and themes that emerge, I investigate the potential of both spirituality and storytelling for the proposal of new methods of social justice–oriented writing and activism. In this article, I apply womanist theory to find new methods of practicing social justice scholarship and activism within and beyond the academy.