by Markeeta
On March 21, 2025, Lynn and I presented virtually at the National Council for Black Studies conference along with OPEEP students from Southeastern Correctional Institution, Aaron, Rashad, and Jesse. Our panel was phenomenal! It afforded us, along with our brothers in struggle, an amazing opportunity to share with Black Studies scholars in the outside community, the transformative impact of Dr. Tiyi Morris’ African American and African Studies class. This course on the Civil Rights and Black Power Movements was taught from a Black feminist perspective, which was not only enlightening but also immeasurably empowering for women and men alike. The knowledge that we obtained regarding the vast number of Black women leaders in these social movements raised our political and social consciousness. We learned how Black women’s activism challenges traditional ideas of leadership that are embedded in American history. Participating in this panel provided us with the opportunity to critique the patriarchal narratives that overlook and minimize African American women’s activism in the Black freedom struggle.
We spoke about activists such as Ella Baker, Fannie Lou Hamer, and Clarie Collins Harvey, who embraced a nonviolent expression of Black people's determination to have freedom during the Civil Rights Movement. We also spoke about leaders and activists who were more radical in their approach such as Elaine Brown and Angela Davis, and organizations like the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. And organizations such as the Black Panther Party became disillusioned with peaceful resistance and took their organizations in a more militant direction and were galvanized into action during the Black Power Movement. We discussed how we a gendered analysis of movement activism allowed us to better understand these movements, African American history, and American history.
The audience was engaged and asked many good questions. For example, we were asked how we plan to use the knowledge that we learned throughout this Black Studies course in our everyday lives and futures. We responded with answers like finding ways to connect with others through education, educating and mentoring our youth, and using the knowledge we have obtained to become leaders and activists in our community. We now have the power through intellectual combat, activism, and freedom dreaming to act in accordance with the evolving direction of the Black freedom struggle. We also now know how important it is for our voices to be heard in this continued struggle against the interlocking oppressions in our society. As a result, I am confident that we all intend to utilize the tools, blueprints, models, and strategies we have been given to move forward to build a better future.
