Introduction

Seidman describes the origins of the social media called Who Needs Feminism and how that led her to undertake oral history interviews with feminist activists around the United States. She explains that her focus is on people who came of age during and after the anti-feminist backlash of the 1980s. Her interviews are all people who earn their living or center their major activist commitments and actions in feminist work, and include non-profit leaders, writers, journalists, philanthropists, labor unionists¬¬, budding politicians, media professionals, and students. They share a fundamental belief that women still face barriers and challenges based on their gender, and that laws, policies, attitudes and behaviors need to change in order to reach the goal of gender equity. She discusses narrators general rejection of the construct different “waves” of feminism; how the rise of social media as has reshaped feminist activism in both positive and negative ways, with special attention to Twitter and tensions within the movement that arise there; feminists’ goals and strategies; and how these interviews reveal the different ways that feminism has unfolded across the life arc of her interviewees. Seidman argues these interviews help explain the rise of the Women’s March on Washington and the #MeToo movement.

Activists in Their Thirties

The women presented here were all between the ages of thirty and thirty-nine at the time of the interview and come from a wide variety of racial, ethnic and economic backgrounds. Taken together these life narratives reveal a changing landscape of feminist activism. Far more of these activists were trained in women’s studies programs, which, by the late 1990s and early 2000s had become more prevalent in educational settings. Several discuss the complexities of reproductive justice frameworks that are starting to supplant a focus on reproductive rights. Street harassment is a major topic of activism. They reflect on the impact of 9/11 and the economic crash of 2008 on their lives, on the impact of social media on older feminist organizations, and on the fractiousness of the online feminist community. Several of these women live in the Twin Cities of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, Minnesota, and their interlocking stories reveal both the connections and the fractures within that vibrant feminist community. As this generation of activists seeks to make change, one theme that emerges in several of their stories is their sense that we need to change hearts and minds, and behaviors, not just laws.This conviction was forged at least in part through the horrors of police violence unfolding during the time of these interviews, and the Black Lives Matter movement that was taking shape in response.

Activists in Their Forties

The seven women in this section were born between 1966 and 1976, at the height of the burgeoning feminist movement. They discuss not only the impact of feminism on their own lives, but on their mothers as well. Some reflect on whether or not the world is a better place for their daughters than when they were growing up. Coming of age in the 1980s and 90s, these interviewees reached maturity during the rise of Reagan Republicanism and what Susan Faludi termed the “backlash” against feminism. None of these women set out at the beginning of their careers to be professional feminists; it never crossed their minds as a possibility. About half of the women in this chapter have been involved in one way or another with the intersecting worlds of journalism, academia, social media, and business, and half—all of them women of color—have worked in direct-service and non-profit organizations. With long careers and experience in a variety of contexts, these women help us understand how feminism has changed over the past twenty years, where the movement is headed, and some of the reasons why even those who undertake its work do not always embrace it wholeheartedly.

Conclusion

Seidman reflects on what has changed since 2012, when Who Needs Feminism launched, and argues that the year can be seen as a turning point in feminist activism, particularly around the use of the internet and social media. She discusses the changing political context since she finished interviewing in the summer of 2016, with the election of Donald Trump. She argues that the interviews help explain the success of the Women’s March on Washington and of the #MeToo movement, by highlighting the long years of organizing and the connections that had been made across organizations and causes, in part inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement. The oral history interviews collected here allow us to look back on a particular moment in time and to reflect on how individual women’s personal decisions and political actions intertwine with the contexts in which they happen—familial, social, political, global. They show how individuals contribute to shaping the world around them. They also help us see in detail how a movement grows; it does not simply emerge whole cloth from a particular event but builds on the connections, successes, and challenges of those who were active before.

Activists in Their Twenties

The six women and one trans man in this chapter were between the ages of 20 and 30 years old. Like the other activists in this book, they search for ways to balance their passion and commitment to making a difference in the world with the need to earn a living, maintain their health, and craft lives that include time for friends and families. Several have been activists since they were teenagers. They discuss how the events of September 11, 2001 and the Great Recession of 2008 shaped their lives and their ideas about activism. They reveal how “intersectionality” inherently defines the way most of them think about feminism and see interconnections between issues --- whether reproductive justice, sexual assault, police brutality, Black Lives Matter, transgender experiences, housing and economic development. Several discuss the role of philanthropy in the feminist movement. These young activists’ ingenuity and their ability to tap into local and international networks, and to bring theory to practice, reflects a wealth of experience and knowledge that promises feminism remains a vital, evolving, and exciting movement.