Book Review: Black Women Taught Us: An Intimate History of Black Feminism

• Published date: 01 October 2024
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1177/21533687241276301
• Author: Toniqua C. Mikell
• Date: 01 October 2024
• Subject Matter: Book Review

Book Review

Jackson, J. M. (2024). BlackWomen Taught Us: An Intimate History of Black Feminism (First Edition).

Random House. $25–30.

Reviewed by: Toniqua C. Mikell, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, MA, USA

DOI: 10.1177/21533687241276301

In Dr. Jenn M. Jackson’sf‌irst book Black Women Taught Us: An Intimate History of

Black Feminism, Jackson presents a powerful and enlightening exploration of the pro-

found impact Black women have had on shaping history, culture, and social move-

ments. Through meticulously researched essays framed by deeply personal

narratives, Jackson highlights the resilience, strength, and ingenuity of Black

women across time and the lessons left behind. Delving into the lives of well-known

(and perhaps less well-known) Black women, Jackson provides an insightful analysis

of their legacies. Jackson’s book is a love letter to our Black feminist foremothers and

to us who have been entrusted to continue their work. Black Women Taught Us is a

timely reminder of the contributions of Black women and the enduring relevance of

their work in today’s world.

One of the book’s strengths lies in Jackson’s deeply personal connections to each of

the women highlighted and the lessons learned. Black Women Taught Us introduces us

to Black feminism through an accessible storytelling that almost all Black women can

relate to (e.g., the signif‌icance of Black aunties). Black feminism, as Jackson tells us, is

everywhere and has been available to the world for centuries and for free through

Black women’s unpaid labor. Black women’s work and lives have given us tools

for liberation, and Jackson challenges readers to simply listen to Black women.

Through its intersectional approach, acknowledging the spectrums of class, gender,

sexuality, (dis)ability, and nationality experienced by Black women, Jackson

focuses on “voices that are too often overlooked, imagined away, watered down,

and simply ignored by White people, institutions, and the authority of the State”offer-

ing instead nuanced perspectives that encourage readers to broaden their understand-

ing of not only Black feminism, but also American history in general.

Jackson’s book is a collection of essays, each uplifting an iconic Black woman of

history and the lessons we should all learn from her. The f‌irst essay in Black Women

Taught Us is a love letter to Harriet Jacobs. In this chapter, Jackson chronicles Jacob’s

Book Review

Race and Justice

2024, Vol. 14(4) 643–645

© The Author(s) 2024

Article reuse guidelines:

sagepub.com/journals-permissions

journals.sagepub.com/home/raj