A specific section in the “Combahee River Collective” statement that really stood out was me was this; “As children we realized that we were different from boys and that we were treated differently. For example, we were told in the same breath to be quiet both for the sake of being “ladylike” and to make us less objectionable in the eyes of white people. As we grew older we became aware of the threat of physical and sexual abuse by men. However, we had no way of conceptualizing what was so apparent to us, what we knew was really happening”. I have also realized that women are treated so differently from boys, and it is interesting to think about how different things would be had boys been raised differently. Young girls grow up not being able to go out at night because the streets are dangerous, not too wear revealing clothing because you’re seducing men and making them think you’re slutty, not to be too loud or aggressive (because that’s for boys) and just to be feminine and obedient. If these things were taught differently and instead it was instilled in boys to be respectful of girls, to be calm and nice, and if they were taught communication and proper ways to express their emotions then things would be completely different. The statement really made me understand more of how feminist issues, back then, did not really relate to the oppression of Black women but was related largely to the oppression that white women were facing, which is a very distinct kind of oppression. This group of women coming together to discuss that and fight for their rights, and the rights of all other black women, is a giant step towards the termination of all oppression for other groups.