Women, Race and Class book cover

Women, Race and Class by Angela Y. Davis Summary

Women, Race and Class
Angela Y. Davis
4.59 (33357 Reviews)
History
Society
Politics
Overview
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Overview of Women, Race and Class

Angela Davis's groundbreaking 1981 masterpiece dissects how racism, sexism, and classism intertwine in America. A cornerstone of intersectional feminism praised by the LA Times as "indispensable," this revolutionary text challenges why mainstream feminism repeatedly fails Black and working-class women.

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Key takeaways

1

When the Struggle for Freedom Ignored Half Its Warriors

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Picture a woman who worked from sunrise to sunset in cotton fields, endured the whip like any man, bore children who would be sold away, and resisted slavery with every fiber of her being-yet whose story was erased from history books. Angela Davis's "Women, Race, and Class" forces us to confront an uncomfortable truth: the American liberation movements we celebrate often built their victories on the backs of those they claimed to champion. Published in 1981, this work remains unsettlingly relevant because the fractures it exposes-between white feminists and women of color, between middle-class reformers and working women, between those who preach solidarity and those who practice it-still run through our movements today. Davis doesn't just recount history; she reveals how the very people fighting oppression can become complicit in it when they fail to see beyond their own experience. This isn't ancient history-it's the blueprint for understanding why contemporary movements still struggle with inclusion, why hashtags don't always translate to justice, and why liberation delayed for some means liberation denied for all.

2

The Myth of the Weak Woman: How Slavery Revealed Capitalism's True Face

3

Resistance Wore a Woman's Face: The Warriors History Forgot

4

When White Women Discovered Oppression But Couldn't See Beyond Their Own

5

Black Women's Voices and the Great Betrayal That Fractured the Movement

6

The Unfinished Revolution: From Emancipation to Economic Bondage

7

The Revolution Requires All of Us: A Call to Unfinished Work

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@Matt, YC alum
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"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."

@Erin, Investment Banking Associate , NYC
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"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."

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"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."

@Raaaaaachelw
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star
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"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."

@Matt, YC alum
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comments
12
likes
108

"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."

@Erin, Investment Banking Associate , NYC
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comments
254
likes
17

"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."

@djmikemoore
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star
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star

"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."

@Pitiful
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"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."

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@Jaded_Falcon
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