Black feminists are trailblazers in movements for gender justice. Their writing and activism provide foundational guidance for our efforts to confront gender-based violence. Of the many women to honor during Black History Month, we are celebrating five key figures who’ve helped us better understand the reality of sexual harm, claim our rights, and expand options for survivors. 

Pauli Murray 

Pauli Murray (1910–1985) was a Black queer and trans feminist, writer, and a co-founder of the National Organization for Women (NOW). She was also a legal theorist central to the passage and enforcement of gender protections under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Title VII bans workplace gender discrimination. It evolved to include sexual harassment and assault after critical lawsuits brought by Black survivors like Mechelle Vinson. 

Before Murray’s ideas led to pivotal changes for women’s rights, she was a law student. She coined the term “Jane Crow” to describe the sexist mockery and exclusion she experienced during her education. Although Murray began studying civil rights to challenge racism, her law school experience made her aware of “the additional burden of sex discrimination.” Were Murray a student today, she would have access to protections and remedies under Title IX. Title IX is the federal law that prohibits gender inequity in schools. In fact, Murray’s early advocacy for Title VII is part of the legal legacy that led to Title IX! 

While Murray couldn’t fully live out her true gender identity during her life, she remained a champion of justice. She highlighted the multiple oppressions that Black women face, analyzed gender inequality in the Civil Rights and Black Power Movements, and called for feminist solidarity across race and class.  

Tarana Burke 

Tarana Burke is a Black feminist activist and founder of the ‘me too.’ Movement. The Movement began in 2006 and focuses on justice and healing for “young people, queer, trans, the disabled, Black women and girls, and all communities of color.” In 2017, Burke was propelled into the spotlight after the hashtag #metoo went viral on social media. Survivors across the world shared their stories, giving the problem of sexual harm new light.  

Burke herself is a survivor of sexual abuse and intimate partner violence. Her experiences moved her to become a survivor-leader for marginalized communities. She has mentored and empowered youth of color for many years. More recently, Burke has been a vocal activist of the #MuteRKelly campaign that calls for the Chicago singer to be held accountable for “sexual violence perpetrated against Black and brown girls.”  

Burke is determined to keep survivors of color at the core of her work. Too often, these are the survivors who can’t access the resources they need to heal. Burke emphasizes that we must “get a clearer understanding of what justice is and what people need to feel whole.” 

Angela Davis 

Angela Davis is a Black queer feminist, writer, anti-violence activist, and retired professor. Her work analyzes the systems that uphold race, gender, and class oppression. As a survivor of the jail system, she has spent decades connecting state violence and interpersonal abuse. She invites us to imagine options for justice apart from a criminal legal response.  

Davis is clear about the epidemic of sexual violence. She writes that “few women…have not been victims…of either attempted or accomplished sexual attacks.” Her work centers the racialized and gendered abuse of Black women, from the sexual exploitation of enslaved women to the criminalized survivors of today. She’s also been crucial in identifying the victimization of incarcerated women. This includes abuses of power like unrequested pelvic exams and rape perpetrated by prison staff.  

In her politics, Davis views equity for transgender people as a priority: “…you have to support Black trans women who are the target of more violence than any other group of people. And if we make advances in our struggle to defend Black trans women, those victories can be felt by all communities,” she says. Davis continues to speak out about intersectional social justice.  

Anita Hill 

Anita Hill is a Black feminist lawyer, writer, and professor. She centers gender and race in her lens on sexual harassment, abuse of power, and the law. In 1991, she bravely testified in front of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee about the harm she experienced at work. Hill reported that this harm was perpetrated by Clarence Thomas, a nominee for the Supreme Court. 

By telling her story, Hill vastly increased public awareness about sexual harassment. She also inspired a specific conversation about violence against Black women. The backlash she faced motivated a group of 1600 Black women to organize for her support. They published a full-page ad in the New York Times titled, “African American Women in Defense of Ourselves.” Hill explains this manifesto “exposed the racist misogyny behind the senators’ flawed process and how racism and misogyny and violence combined to imperil Black women, past and present.” She says this “public acknowledgement of [her] experience was a lifeline.” 

Even though Thomas was confirmed to the Supreme Court, Hill’s voice and advocacy have been essential for survivor justice. Hill believes regardless of the outcome, “…there is victory in being able to come forward and state what has happened to you if you have been abused.” 

bell hooks 

bell hooks, born Gloria Jean Watkins (1952–2021), was a Black queer feminist theorist and educator. She wrote over 30 books in her lifetime! Her wisdom has provided readers with a lens to understand the “interlocking systems” of “imperialist white-supremacist capitalist patriarchy.” 

As a survivor of sexual assault and domestic violence, bell hooks didn’t shy away from naming the reality of racist and sexist abuse. She boldly addressed the exploitation long experienced by Black women, including dehumanizing stereotypes, the rape of enslaved women and girls, and the reproductive harm of forced pregnancy. She further identified sexual harassment and assault as routine violence faced by Black women working in white homes as domestic laborers. She also called attention to gender violence within Black communities. 

bell hooks was always mindful of inviting men into the fight to end sexual harm. She believed “our movement to transform rape culture can only progress as men come to feminist thinking and actively challenge sexism and male violence against women.” As a passionate gender justice scholar, bell hooks will forever remind us that Feminism is for Everybody!  

Want to learn more about Black survivors, gender equity, and racial justice? Read another blog post from CAASE: 

• Black Women are Still Fighting to be Free from Sex Trafficking  
• Allies: Prioritize Black Trans Lives 
• Want To Understand the Relationship Between Police Brutality and Sexual Harm? Here’s Where to Begin 

CAASE published this piece on February 13, 2024. It was authored by Tayler Mathews and edited by Madeleine Behr. Learn more about our staff here. Black History Month illustration by iStock.com/Caelestiss.