This Bridge Called My Back: Writings of Radical Women of Color

reviewed by Tania Abdulahad

It has never been enough for women of color to agree on the importance of feminist politics and theory in our lives but also how we have developed and experienced that feminism, not only in our lives but in the lives of our other sisters of color. What I learned from reading this fine collection of writings by radical women of color is how much there is to learn about my other sisters' history and how close we are to reaching out to one another. But I also learned how rough a journey it must be before we are to touch without reservation.

The first section, "The Roots of our Radicalism," developed some basic ideas about how and why we are invisible or visible to those around us, and how much of what we perceive to be the real us are just figments of our imaginations. It deals with the struggle of always trying to live within "acceptable" standards while having very little of your own to work towards. And it also deals with fear-the fear that comes from the taunts and jeers of others because you are different, while understanding that what is important is not always the exterior self, but the interior self.

The next section, "Theory in the Flesh," is about the diversity in our community and how feminist political theory is borne out of our varied racial, cultural and economic backgrounds, and how we experience feminist theory as women of color. After having experienced oppression, some of these experiences take on some familiar forms as becoming educated, and in turn .becoming the new oppressor.

The next two sections were the most important and informative for me because they deal with racism in the women's movement and the class, cultural and sexual differences that divide all women of color. I felt so strongly about these issues because I have often known the intensity of racism in the women's movement as well as homophobia in my own Black community. This is not to downplay the class or cultural differences, but the issues of racism and homophobia are more immediate concerns.

Take for example this quote from a Native American woman about how she feels about White women and the necessity of always calling them on their racism:

"After 3 1/2 years I had so little left of myself, so many bitter memories of women who disrespected me and others. A woman who called herself a communist but supported capitalist enterprises of women, rather than our brave collective, worker owned effort. The lies pretensions, the snobbery and cliquishness. The racism which bled through every moment at every level. The terrifying and useless struggle to be accepted. The awful gossip, bitchiness backbiting and jealousy. The gross lack of love."

From the section of "Culture, Class and Homophobia" there are two articles worth noting. The first is by Cheryl Clarke: "Lesbianism: an act of Resistance." To exemplify how powerful a woman's words can be, here are a few lines from her article:

"For a woman to be a lesbian in a male supremacist, capitalist, misogynist, racist, homophobic, imperialist culture, such as that of North America, is an act of resistance. The woman who embraces lesbianism as an ideological, political and philosophical means of liberation of all women from heterosexual tyranny must also identify with the worldwide struggle of all women to end male supremacist tyranny at all levels. As far as I am concerned, any woman who calls herself a feminist must commit herself to the liberation of all woman from coerced heterosexuality as it manifests itself in the nuclear family, the state and on Madison Avenue."

The power in these words are not only in how they are expressed through one medium, but what the potential becomes when these words are being spoken by all of our sister's of color, here and around the world.

Readers will find the discussion by sisters Barbara and Beverly Smith interesting as well, especially the section on "Homophobia in the Black Community." I have a great deal of respect for and solidarity with them from their previous works. And this section gives some very instructive ways of debating the issue of homosexuality as it pertains to the Black community.

The next section concerns itself with the "Third World Woman Writer" and her struggle to survive in the established woman's heterosexual and male dominated world. This flows very effectively into the final chapter which deals with each writer's vision of the future, how all of our future perspectives must take up some of the demands of the women's movement and develop our consciousness along similar lines.

Most noteworthy in this section is sister Gloria Anzaldua's article on "Women's Spirituality." I found this interesting because of the continued denial by some of a separate spiritual perspective of women, and how it is returning with such power today. Women have a stake in developing a sane and simplistic approach to spirituality- a spirituality whose purpose is not to continue to oppress women, but to free them and the great reservoir of power they hold.

In summarizing the book I can only say that it is required reading for all Third World women, regardless of their sexual preference. It should be required reading for all progressive White people along with Third World men, especially given the time-a time that threatens all Third World communities, attempts to regulate women to second class citizen status, and threatens to annihilate the entire world with nuclear holocaust.

The other important point to be made about this book is the challenges it holds for all women of color: that we continue to think less along traditional political lines and more along radical lines, and that we become activists in the progressive movements for social change, while always maintaining a strong feminist consciousness.