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Florynce Kennedy: The Feminist Party
In a time when the intersectionality of Black women was overlooked, Florynce Kennedy served as a civli rights activist for Black liberation and women's liberation. She founded the Feminist Party in 1971, which would go on to nominate Shirley Chisholm as an United States Presidential candidate. The importance of Florynce Kennedy is in her ability to simultaneously fight for the liberation of both her skin and her gender, in period that saw the two issues as mutually exclusive. Her impact is often erased, overshadowed and whitewashed by white feminists who fail to acknowledge the works of a Black woman. Her impact is also undervalued by Black men, who believed that the liberation of the Black community took precedence over women's liberation movements.
The first image above gives a simplistic view of the platform the party ran on. The ideas of her party are so progressive, that even nearly 50 years later, we have not reached the demands of this party. The Feminist Party advocated for free child care and contraceptives, both issues that are still being requested by women in 2019 (almost 2020). Statements such as "Impeach Nixon" show a stark parallel in history, considering that vehement efforts are being made to impeach our current president. And the statement about the removal of sexism and racism from labor unions can be connected to the current strike being held at Harvard College regarding the Harvard Graduate Student.
The second image is "Health Hints" for women, discussing the do's and dont's of women receiving healthcare while also giving women a "Bill of Rights" to abide by. A Black woman advocating for the healthcare of women specifically is strangely ironic considering this country's horrible treatment of Black women even in the 21st century. According to NPR and the CDC, Black women have a 243% higher chance of dying during childbirth and in general, Black mothers are dying at three to four times the rate of white mothers. While it is extremely inspirational to see the pioneer that Florynce Kennedy was in advocating for women's healthcare through a political party, something has to be said about the facts that despite great leaders such as Florynce Kennedy this country still neglects the health of Black women.
Something has to be said about a Black woman who had enough grit and intelligence to found a political party that would appeal to the intersectionality of being a Black woman in the United States. The Feminist Party symbol of a Black Power fist in the women's symbol exemplifies what it means to have power in both being Black and woman. While Florynce Kennedy's efforts are not talked about nearly as much as they should, her impact is not left unfelt. The issues that the Feminist Party advocated for are equally as important today as they were in 1971. There can only be hope that her legacy will live on in the new generation of Black women fighting for the systematic and societal liberation of Black women in the Untied States.
Sources:
Nina Martin & Renee Montagne. 2017. U.S. Black Mothers Keep Dying [All Things Considered].NPR. https://www.npr.org/2017/12/07/568948782/black-mothers-keep-dying-after-giving-birth-shalon-irvings-story-explains-why
