Sisterhood Is Powerful: An Anthology of Writings from the Women's Liberation Movement is a 1970 anthology offeminist writings edited byRobin Morgan, a feminist poet and founding member ofNew York Radical Women.[1] It is one of the first widely available anthologies ofsecond-wave feminism. It is both a consciousness-raising analysis and a call-to-action.[2]Sisterhood Is Global: The International Women's Movement Anthology (1984) is the follow-up toSisterhood Is Powerful.[3] AfterSisterhood Is Global came its follow-up,Sisterhood Is Forever: The Women's Anthology for a New Millennium (2003).[3]
 Cover of the first edition | |
| Editor | Robin Morgan |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Vintage Books |
Publication date | 1970 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 602 |
| ISBN | 0-394-70539-4 |
| OCLC | 96157 |
| LC Class | 70117694 |
| Followed by | Sisterhood Is Global: The International Women's Movement Anthology |
Background
editKathie Sarachild coined the phrase "sisterhood is powerful" in 1968, in a flier she wrote for the keynote speech she gave forNew York Radical Women's first public action at the convocation of theJeannette Rankin Brigade.[4]
Contents
editThe collection addresses several major issues including "the need for radical feminism, the discrimination women experienced from men in the political left, and the blatant sexism faced in the workplace."[5]
It includes classic feminist essays and writings by activists such asNaomi Weisstein,Kate Millett,Eleanor Holmes Norton,Florynce Kennedy,Frances M. Beal,Lucinda Cisler,Joreen,Marge Piercy,Lynn Strongin, andMary Daly, as well as historical documents including theN.O.W. Bill of Rights, excerpts from theSCUM Manifesto, theRedstockings Manifesto, and historical documents fromW.I.T.C.H. It also includes a document from the Black Women's Liberation Group fromMount Vernon; this piece demonstrates the race-conscious "sisterhood" that some second-wave black feminists demanded and was used by many second-wave feminists to communicate this demand.[6] It also includes what Morgan coined "verbal karate": useful quotes and statistics about women.[7]
Reception
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The anthology was cited by theNew York Public Library as one of the "New York Public Library's Books of the [20th] Century".[8] However, Chile, China and South Africa banned the anthology.[9]
Legacy
editTheOxford English Dictionary creditsRobin Morgan with first using the term "herstory" in print in the book. Concerning the feminist organization W.I.T.C.H., Morgan wrote:
- The fluidity and wit of the witches is evident in the ever-changing acronym: the basic, original title wasWomen's International Terrorist Conspiracy from Hell [...] and the latest heard at this writing is Women Inspired to Commit Herstory."[10][11]
Morgan established the first American feminist grant-giving organization, The Sisterhood Is Powerful Fund, with the royalties fromSisterhood Is Powerful.[9]
In popular culture
editIn a 2019Paris Fashion Week show,Christian Dior's creative directorMaria Grazia Chiuri debuted a collection of T-shirts that readSisterhood Is Powerful,Sisterhood Is Global andSisterhood Is Forever, respectively.[12][13]
The 2016coming-of-age film20th Century Women prominently features the book, being lent to Jamie (Lucas Jade Zumann) by Abbie (Greta Gerwig).
References
edit- ^"Ironic Feminism, Empathic Activism: Robin Morgan's Saturday's Child".Ms. Magazine. March 30, 2001.
- ^Fogarty, Michael P. (1973). "Review ofThe Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan;Patriarchal Attitudes by Eva Figes;The Female Eunuch by Germaine Greer;Sexual Politics by Kate Millet;Woman's Estate by Juliet Mitchell;Sisterhood is Powerful: An Anthology of Writings from the Women's Liberation Movement by Robin Morgan;Voices from Women' Liberation by Leslie B. Tanner".International Review of Education.19 (1).JSTOR 3442984.
- ^ab"BOOKS | An Interview With Robin Morgan". Hybridmagazine.Com. RetrievedOctober 15, 2015.
- ^Love, Barbara J. (2006).Feminists who Changed America, 1963-1975. University of Illinois Press.ISBN 978-0-252-03189-2.
- ^Napikoski, Linda (2014)."Sisterhood is Powerful".AboutEducation. About.com. Archived fromthe original on September 7, 2012.
- ^Brain, Norman (2006). "The Consciousness-Raising Document, Feminist Anthologies, and Black Women inSisterhood Is Powerful".Frontiers: A Journal of Women Studies.27 (3):38–64.doi:10.1353/fro.2006.a209988.JSTOR 4137384.
- ^Battle-Sister, Ann (1971). "Review of 'A Tyrant's Plea,'Dominated Man by Albert Memmi;Born Female by Caroline Bird;Sisterhood is Powerful by Robin Morgan".Journal of Marriage and Family.33 (3):592–597.doi:10.2307/349862.JSTOR 349862.
- ^Diefendorf, Elizabeth (1996).The New York Public Library's Books of the Century. Oxford University Press. RetrievedMarch 3, 2012.
- ^abMorgan, Robin Morga (November 1, 2007).Sisterhood Is Forever: The Women's Anthology for a New Millennium. Simon and Schuster. pp. 18–.ISBN 978-1-4165-9576-2.
- ^"herstory, n.". Oxford English Dictionary Online. RetrievedMarch 8, 2017.
- ^“Dry Your Smile”, byRobin Morgan,Ms.
- ^Conlon, Scarlett (February 26, 2019)."Christian Dior launches latest 'sisterhood' slogans".The Guardian. RetrievedDecember 1, 2019.
- ^Robinson, Roxanne; Schmidt, Ingrid (February 27, 2019)."Paris Fashion Week: Dior's Latest Feminist Message, Saint Laurent Channels Bianca Jagger".The Hollywood Reporter. RetrievedDecember 1, 2019.
Further reading
edit- Brownmiller, Susan (March 15, 1970)."'Sisterhood Is Powerful'".The New York Times. RetrievedDecember 1, 2019.