The Politics of Sisterhood

This chapter explores the juncture of feminist and anti-racist struggle across several fronts that came to characterise the politics of sisterhood within the Abasindi Cooperative: domestic violence; immigration controls; police brutality, youth justice and the educational advancement of Black women and children. Reflections of the role of the organisation in social action on each of these areas are interwoven with a critical analysis of contemporary literature. The aim of the chapter is to highlight the ways in which the politics of sisterhood grew and morphed in response to the needs of the community in which Abasindi was located. As Gramsci and Hoare argued, theories of change must emerge from the everyday struggles that drive the need for social transformation (1978); we were Black women; we were Abasindi women and ours were the children we fought for. However, ours was not an activism that was solely concerned with local conditions; our education and influences came from international liberation struggles for social justice and this enabled us to connect with women from around the world; local activism within the context of a global vision.