Women, Race & Class

Women, Race and Class is a nonfiction book and historical study by author, feminist studies professor, and lifelong activist Angela Y. Davis. It is a chronological telling of the history of the women’s rights movement from the era of slavery to the time of publication (1981), especially as it relates the experiences of Black and working-class women in the United States. Davis connects history to her own era on several occasions, using lessons learned from history to strategize solutions for the future. The 1970s witnessed the continuation of several equality movements from the 1960s, such as the women’s rights, civil rights, and gay rights movements, along with continuing protests against a never-ending war in Vietnam. This study guide refers to the paperback February 1983 First Vintage Books Edition of the book. Readers should keep the publication year in mind, as certain data and circumstances that Davis references or relies on might have significantly changed since the time of its original publishing. Additionally, this study guide contains sensitive and potentially triggering content when discussing portions of the book that concern rape and violence, including the cruel conditions of slavery.

Through her historical analysis, Davis analyzes the intersection of three topics, as reflected in the book’s title: sex, race, and class.