This edited volume chronicles the movements of Black and Afro-descendant women across intellectual, geographic, temporal, gender, and cultural boundaries. In the interdisciplinary tradition of Black Feminism, the contributors explore the redefinition and evolution of Black women and place. Researchers, activists, and academics present diverse perspectives on the strategies through which Black and Afro-descendant women confront racism and sexism in their communities. The chapters also examine the knowledge and pathways generated by Black and Afro-descendant women in both historical and contemporary contexts.

The book is organized in three sections. “Historical Trajectories” situates the experiences of Black women in the legacies of the past that continue to shape present-day activism. “Community Experiences” reflects on the importance of Black and Afro-descendant women’s work in sustaining the social fabric of their communities. Finally, “Narrative as Methodology” offers innovative approaches to narrating the personal experiences of Black and Afro-descendant women in education, research, and activism.

Dr. Jaira J. Harrington is an Assistant Professor of Black Studies at the University of Illinois Chicago, USA. She has published in Latin American and Caribbean Ethnic Studies, Kalfou: A Journal of Comparative Ethnic Studies, Race & Class, and Revista Relicário Uberlândia. A seasoned educator on gender, race, labor, activism, and Black communities in Latin America, she teaches courses on Black diaspora, global Black feminisms, and the politics of Blackness in Latin America. She is currently completing her first book, Inscribed and Erased: Domestic Workers’ Rights in Brazil. 

Dr. Angie Edell Campos Lazo is a Lecturer of Social Work at the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Perú and an Afro-Peruvian activist. Her dissertation, Black Bodies in Professional Workspaces: Professionalization of Afro-Peruvian Women in the City of Lima, examines contemporary racism through the educational and professional experiences of Afro-Peruvian women. Her research centers Afro-Peruvian human rights, Afro-descendant women’s activism, and youth political participation. A recognized scholar-activist and community leader, she has published widely in the Afro-Latin American studies field.