Black Feminist Coup

Dr. Jennifer L. Richardson is Associate Professor of African American and African Studies at Western Michigan University. As a Black feminist sociologist, her work focuses on intergenerational African Ring Shout healing circles as pedagogical and methodological approaches, Africana women’s collective healing as a socio- political path to the recovery of self, and the ways Black women navigate the intersections of media, beauty, and identity. Dr. Mariam Konaté is a Professor of African American and African Studies and of Gender and Women’s Studies at Western Michigan University. Her research interests include the experiences of Continental African immigrants in the USA, the relevance of father absence to African American women’s heterosexual dating experiences, skin bleaching, comparative literature and cultural studies, African epics, and Post-Colonial Studies.Dr. Staci M. Perryman- Clark is Interim Dean of Merze Tate College and Professor of English and African American Studies at Western Michigan University. As an experienced administrator, she has led and developed key diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and has received numerous honors from Western Michigan University, Conference on College Composition and Communication (CCCC) and Conference of Writing Program Administrators. Perryman-Clark is the 2023 chair of CCCC. Dr. Olivia Marie McLaughlin is Assistant Professor of Sociology and Criminology at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. Her research focuses on the ways white women make sense of, and act on, their ideas about race, racism, and antiracism within feminism. She has published works on genocide studies, heuristics, and alternative pedagogies for undergraduate education. Dr. Keiondra Grace is the Director of Research at Mothering Justice, a grassroots policy advocacy organization providing mothers of color with resources and tools to use their power to make equitable changes in policy. As a Black feminist scholar, she uses a blend of theory and practice to bolster services and supports aimed at alleviating inequalities and empowering people. Her research aims to generate knowledge that advocates for social action and policy reform on behalf of those historically placed at the margins.

THE BLACK FEMINIST COUP is a compelling, courageous co-authored monograph that explores the lived experiences of a group of mostly Black women in white supremacist feminist spaces at one university. Grounded in Black feminist history and theory, this pioneering text makes visible -- in moving and painful ways-- the impact of racism, sexism, and misogynoir on a particular group of Black feminists in the academy during various junctures of their journeys, including, perhaps surprisingly, women's and gender studies spaces. Especially instructive is the book's exploration of what cross-racial solidarities might mean in feminist academic spaces and what white women in particular might learn from these analyses and blueprints for transformation.Beverly Guy-SheftallThe Anna Julia Cooper Professor of Comparative Women's Studies at Spelman College and co-edited WORDS OF FIRE (New Press, 1995).

• Preface – Introduction – Black Feminist Genealogies and the Art of Storytelling – Mariam’s Story – Jennifer’s Story – Staci’s Story – Keiondra and Olivia’s Perspectives: Outsiders Looking In – Conclusion: Sisterhood, Action Steps and Accountability – Epilogue Olivia’s "Academic Karens" Reading List – References – Index – Author Biographies.