Critical Social Policy, Volume 40, Issue 2, Page 196-214, May 2020.
This article provides a critical reflection on Birmingham Black Sisters’ (BBS) experiences of fighting racism and sexism during the 1980s, having lain dormant for three decades and now attempting to regalvanise, the article explores some of the key tensions they faced and reflects on the possibilities for future activism. The article is based on both individual contributions from BBS members, who loosely maintain contact today, as well as BBS archives (minutes and reflection) and material from a publication of one of the male dominated organisations with which BBS was involved. The views expressed here, however, are the sole responsibility of the authors. We first outline the political context in which BBS was formed in the 1980s, why we came together and what we achieved. We then highlight some of the contradictions this presented, and how these unfolded then, and their impact on us today.