A treatise of Black women’s transformative influence in media and society, placing them front and center in a new chapter of mainstream resistance and political engagement
In Reclaiming Our Space, social worker, activist, and cultural commentator Feminista Jones explores how Black women are changing culture, society, and the landscape of feminism by building digital communities and using social media as powerful platforms. As Jones reveals, some of the best-loved devices of our shared social media language are a result of Black women’s innovations, from well-known movement-building hashtags (#BlackLivesMatter, #SayHerName, and #BlackGirlMagic) to the now ubiquitous use of threaded tweets as a marketing and storytelling tool. For some, these online dialogues provide an introduction to the work of Black feminist icons like Angela Davis, Barbara Smith, bell hooks, and the women of the Combahee River Collective. For others, this discourse provides a platform for continuing their feminist activism and scholarship in a new, interactive way.
Complex conversations around race, class, and gender that have been happening behind the closed doors of academia for decades are now becoming part of the wider cultural vernacular—one pithy tweet at a time. With these important online conversations, not only are Black women influencing popular culture and creating sociopolitical movements; they are also galvanizing a new generation to learn and engage in Black feminist thought and theory, and inspiring change in communities around them.
Hard-hitting, intelligent, incisive, yet bursting with humor and pop-culture savvy, Reclaiming Our Space is a survey of Black feminism’s past, present, and future, and it explains why intersectional movement building will save us all.
“There’s a beautiful optimism about the power of social media throughout various chapters . . . Recommended for university-level courses on gender studies and new media studies as well as for general readers interested in the intersection of pop culture, feminist theory, racial justice, and activism.”
—Library Journal, Starred Review
“Smart, savvy, and unapologetically fierce.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“Jones’s entertaining book . . . astutely analyzes the nuances of black female identity.”
—Publishers Weekly
“If you want to understand the rising preeminence of black women in our modern day sociopolitical landscape, you would be smart to start with Feminista Jones, a black woman writing and working at the forefront of our movements.”
—Ijeoma Oluo, author of the New York Times bestseller So You Want To Talk About Race
“Reclaiming Our Space is an invaluable contribution to long-overdue conversations about race, gender, and intersectionality in America. Feminista Jones combines empathy and wisdom with intellectual rigor and historical analysis to explain clearly and compellingly the central role that Black feminists play in the fight for democracy and social justice.”
—Soraya Chemaly, director of the Women’s Media Center Speech Project and author of Rage Becomes Her
“Reclaiming Our Space is a refreshing affirmation of Black women, centering our societal roles in a way I have never read before. For those of us whose race and gender exist at a precarious intersection, Reclaiming Our Space is a godsend that will inform not only how we are approached and regarded by others through social media platforms but how we interact with each other and value ourselves.”
—CaShawn Thompson, creator of #BlackGirlMagic
“It’s impossible to overstate the cultural impact of Feminista Jones . . . . A bold and candid voice.”
—Eve L. Ewing, author of Electric Arches and Ghosts in the Schoolyard
“As often as I find myself disillusioned by today’s political climate, Feminista Jones reminds us that Black women have always been and continue to be at the forefront of social change both online and IRL. Reclaiming Our Space is a thorough and accessible history of Black feminism that reflects on our past as a means of encouraging us to move toward a better future.”
—Franchesca Ramsey, host of MTV Decoded and author of Well, That Escalated Quickly: Memoirs and Mistakes of an Accidental Activist
“In a world where many call themselves ‘feminist,’ educator, healer, and community leader Feminista Jones provides tangible steps for those seeking to do a better job of showing up and holding space for Black women. Reclaiming Our Space is required reading for brothers who fashion themselves supporters of our sisters, as well as those who don’t yet know they need to be. It’s also soul food for the rest of y’all desiring to move toward a better future.”
—David Johns, executive director of the National Black Justice Coalition
INTRODUCTION
It All Started When . . .
CHAPTER 1
#BlackFeminism 101
CHAPTER 2
#BlackFeminism 102
CHAPTER 3
Thread!
CHAPTER 4
The Influencers
CHAPTER 5
Talk Like Sex
CHAPTER 6
Black Girls Are Magic
CHAPTER 7
Twenty-First-Century Negro Bedwenches
CHAPTER 8
Black Mamas Matter
CHAPTER 9
“I’ve Always Been Good to You People!”
CHAPTER 10
Mammy 2.0: Black Women Will Not Save You, So Stop Asking
CHAPTER 11
Combahee Lives
Acknowledgments
Notes
- “Social Media Owes Its Cultural Compass to Black Women Online,” Beacon Broadside, excerpt posted for Black History Month
- “Black Twitter shaped the platform, but its future lies elsewhere,” The Conversation, book and author quoted in piece
- “We Found the Perfect Beacon Books for ‘Abbott Elementary’ Characters, ” Beacon Broadside, included in reading roundup
- “When Gabby Petito disappeared, the world watched. Destini Smothers was ignored,” The Philadelphia Inquirer, op-ed
- “The BU Center for Antiracist Research is hosting a book festival. What you need to know,” Boston.com, book highlighted in piece on the Antiracist Book Festival
- “Presenting the 2019 Bitch 50,” Bitch Media, listed as one of the Bitch 50
- “Books to give activists as they prepare for the upcoming election,” Mashable, included in gift guide roundup
- “Reclaiming Black Motherhood,” MUTHA Magazine, excerpt
- “Draw Strength from Your Weaknesses,” Pod Save the People, podcast interview
- “Black Twitter 2020,” Full Frontal with Samantha Bee, guest appearance on segment about Black Twitter
- “‘Homecoming’ Homework: 7 Books to Read After Watching Beyoncés Epic Documentary,” Bitch, included in reading roundup
- “9 Books About Beyoncé, Feminism, And Music To Read After You Finish ‘Queen Bey’ By Veronica Chambers,” Bustle, included in reading roundup
- “Love Is at the Source of Everything,” OWN/The Know, interview
- “‘Tired Of Everything And Everyone’ — This Kid’s Note About Her 100-Year-Old Self Speaks For Us All,” Huffington Post (UK), included in tweet roundup piece on a precocious child’s comments about the future
- “43 New & Upcoming Books to Discover This Black History Month,” Goodreads, included in Black History Month reading roundup
- “Feminista Jones,” WIP/Conversations with Peter Solomon (Philly), live interview
- “Feminista Jones Spills Tea on R. Kelly, Racism, and Cancel Culture,” The Manwhore Podcast, podcast
- “#U.N.I.T.Y.: 21st-Century Black Women Break the Internet,” Powell’s (blog), essay
- “You can’t be a conscientious woman of color without embracing the feminist inside you, says author Feminista Jones. She’s right,” Philadelphia Inquirer, profile piece
- “Big books for spring 2019, including Lisa Scottoline’s latest and Oliver Sacks’ last,” Philadelphia Inquirer, coverage in their Spring book preview
- “Feminista Jones Reminds Black Feminists to ‘Reclaim Our Space,’” AfroPunk, write-up
- “‘We All We Got’: A Conversation with Feminista Jones,” DAME Magazine, Q&A
- “Feminsta Jones,” Real Black News, podcast interview
- “Supporting Black Women at Work (w/ Feminista Jones),” Living Corporate, interview
- “Black History Month in Philadelphia,” Al Día, Free Library event listed in Black History Month event roundup
- “Why White Allyship Isn’t Enough,” Vice/Broadly, Q&A
- “Reclaiming Our Space,” The Black Guy Who Tips, podcast interview
- “17 books every activist should read in 2019,” Mashable, included in reading roundup
- “Read in the New Year,” Sacramento News Review, included in “10 Books to Pick Up in 2019” reading roundup
- “Feminista Jones’ new book ‘Reclaiming Our Space’ examines how hashtags build community for black women,” WHYY/Morning Edition, radio interview
- “Feminista Jones Wants Black Women to Reclaim Their Space,” Bitch Media, Q&A
- “Black feminism,” WHYY/Radio Times, radio interview
- “Complexities of Blackness, Womanhood, & Kink,” Inner Hoe Uprising, podcast interview
- “‘Surviving R. Kelly’ and the Inherent Violence of Being a Black Woman,” Out, essay responding to Lifetime docuseries “Surviving R. Kelly”
- “Despite Death Threats, R. Kelly’s Critics and Accusers Refuse to Be Silenced,” Observer, listed as author of forthcoming book and quoted in piece on R. Kelly survivor documentary
- “The Feminist Press,” Instagram, Jamia Wilson, head of the press, posted the galley on her Instagram