“We are certainly damaged people. The question is, finally,
do we use that damage to recognize each other,
to do what work we can together?”
- Born: November 16th, 1946 Cleveland, Ohio, US
- Pronouns: She/her
- Education:
- Occupation: Scholar, activist, critic, lecturer, author, and publisher
- Known For: Home Girls: A Black Feminist Anthology, But Some of Us Are Brave
- Awards: African American Policy Forum Harriet Tubman Lifetime Achievement Award (2017), Lambda Literary Award: Publishing Professional Award, Alumnae Association of Mount Holyoke College Achievement Award, Mount Holyoke College Alumnae Association Sesquicentennial Award, Nomination for Nobel Peace Prize (2005), Fellow at the Bunting Institute of Radcliffe College, Scholar-In-Residence at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture (1995-1996), Church Women United’s Human Rights Award (2000), Stonewall Award for Service to the Lesbian and Gay Community (1994)
Barbara Smith is an American scholar, activist, and writer, known for her significant role in black feminism. Smith has written numerous essays, reviews, articles, short stories, and literary criticisms discussing inequalities in the US, all gaining wide publication. Smith was a member of the Combahee River Collective, a black feminist organization that emphasized the intersections of racial, gender, heterosexist, and class oppression in the lives of African Americans and other women of color. Smith also was the first scholar to coin the term “identity politics”, which she used to describe the intersecting modes of identity that create unique forms of oppression for women of color, especially black lesbian women.
Handout
To download the Handout:
- Click on the image
- Right-click and select Save Image As…
- Write a description on the line and decorate.
- Cut out and use for a selfie to share on our social media page.
- Download a card and envelope template and write about an idea this leader inspires.
- Check out more resources and ways to celebrate MLK can be found on these links as well as our official Day of Service opportunity to volunteer.
This ASI Special event is an ongoing volunteer-led project made by people like you, using multiple educational sources regularly being revised and updated. We would love your assistance if you or your group would like to get involved, learn more here.