In the Combahee River Collection Statment, we discuss major topics regarding Black feminism, what they believe, their politics, the problems that occur within the history of this collective, and the issues and practice. The quote, “We might use our position at the bottom to make a clear leap into revolutionary action. If black women were free, it would mean that everyone else would have to be free since our freedom would necessitate the destruction of all the systems of oppression.” must be broken down by each sentence. A Black womans position is systemically at the bottom. Combahee explains that there are no other environments in society that are anywhere near compatible to the struggle of a Black woman. At the bottom, the only way to be recognized and appreciated would be to fight the entire world that is constantly working against them. Their position at the bottom evokes “revolutionary action”, in that, if everyone was free, Black women would be too. Their freedom would break down the systems of oppression that have been built upon for centuries.

The Combahee River collective explains the concept of identity politics by turning their focus towards their own identities, rather than working to end the oppression of others. This is a step for radical change because it is dangerous. They are worthy of taking their own politics and the political movements from the past to liberate themselves and be recognized as human. Their love for themselves and their community allows them to continue their struggle and focus on creating change from within. In Paris Is Burning, the queens and mothers of the house use their identity politics to set boundaries inside and outside of the safe space they created. We also see identity politics when we hear the stories of those who long to be remembered for what they did for the people of the ballrooms. Many explain how they wish to be recognized as feminine, or want to be famous from all corners of the world. Within the group they created they are able to make these fantasies their ultimate reality, focusing on those who love and care for them helps to make their identity politics flourish in a safe space.

Capitalism constantly profits off of race and gender. We see this every time we go into a drug store, or in ads on the Subway. Marketing is a major part of this. For example, if a white man owns a brand for Black hair products, he is using Black people to pose on the labels and advertisements of the products, while he profits from the consumers; Black people. This also goes hand in hand with gender. Companies market baby items as pink and blue so that the consumer has to pick between limited options, rather than making the items gender neutral. Another major example of this is Amazon. Many minorities work under the umbrella of jobs that Amazon provides, but get underpaid and overworked. The cooperation is worth billions and yet we still see unsafe working conditions while workers are not compensated properly.