num_pages: 320
description: From 1970 to 1980 the Third World Womens Alliance lived the dream of third world feminism. The small bicoastal organization was one of the earliest groups advocating for what came to be known as intersectional activism arguing that women of color faced a triple jeopardy of race gender and class oppression. Rooted in the Black civil rights movement the TWWA pushed the womens movement to address issues such as sterilization abuse infant mortality welfare and wage exploitation and challenged third world activist organizations to address sexism in their ranks. The TWWAs international analysis focused on the effects of US foreign and military policy on the lives of third world people declaring that US activists had an important role to play in global sisterhood. Widely recognized as the eras primary voice for women of color this alliance across ethnic and racial identities was unique then and now.Interweaving oral history scholarly and archival research and first-person memoir WE WERE THERE documents how the TWWA shaped and defined second wave feminism. Highlighting the essential contributions of women of color to the justice movements of the 1970s this historical resource will inspire activists today and tomorrow reminding a new generation that solidarity is the only way forward.Fifty years ago the Third World Womens Alliance passionately insisted on interconnections among racism sexism and capitalism inspiring radical analytical frameworks and organizing strategies associated with contemporary conceptions of feminism. We are deeply indebted to Patricia Romney for helping to generate a record of the Alliances pioneering contributions and thus for ensuring that their revolutionary legacies live on. Angela Y. Davis author of Freedom Is a Constant Struggle: Ferguson Palestine and the Foundations of a MovementIn the 1970s with the mimeograph as weapon and in solidarity with international liberation struggles US women of color turned to one another across ethnic and racial divides to recognize their common cause. We Were There is the origin story weve been waiting for. Those radical sister foremothers shaped for themselves an utterly prescient (if not always perfect) politicone to which the tenets of This Bridge Called My Back Intersectionality and Transnational Feminism remain beholden. Yes they were there as Patricia Romney living witness and researcher fervently attests. And we are so grateful that they were. Cherre Moraga co-editor of This Bridge Called My Back: Writings by Radical Women of ColorIn We Were There Sistah Pat has created a riveting collective memory and critique of the TWWA's radical contributions to our enduring movement for justice and liberation. Melanie Tervalon physician educator and activist With a narrative that is both engaging and inspiring Patricia Romney's We Were There gives us an important insiders view of the Third World Womens Alliance and the powerful sisterhood that transformed the lives of so many women. Now more than ever we need the voices of women of color activists who were fighting against racism sexism and classism in the 1970s to speak across generations and share their lessons learned. The struggle continues! Beverly Daniel Tatum author of Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? And Other Conversations About Race We Were There brilliantly makes visible and salient the complex and intersectional stories of the 1970s women's movement that have so often been whitewashed and omitted in many educational contexts. This book is a heartfelt and compassionate scholarly exploration of coalition building education and activism centering the work and stories of women of color. Dr. Romney is a gifted storyteller and talented scholar who offers us as readers insight and wisdom that helps to better understand contemporary social justice work. Marcella Runell Hall co-editor of UnCommon Bonds: Women Reflect on Race and FriendshipFor those who were there Pat Romneys book rings true with passion remembrance and wisdom. For those who were not there it is a history lesson rooted in honesty commitment and a vision of a more just future. From historical artifacts to interviews and portraits of former members this book includes broad-based examples of solidarity and inspiring personal and collective stories. We Were There is a call to action about frequently hidden or denied lessons of the past that we would do well to remember today. Sonia Nieto professor emerita University of Massachusetts Amherst
language: English
title: We Were There: The Third World Women’s Alliance and the Second Wave
publisher: Feminist Press