Book Review: Florynce "Flo" Kennedy

Book: Florynce "Flo" Kennedy: The Life of a Black Feminist Radical by Sherie M. Randolph

Source: Borrowed from Publisher/NetGalley for an honest review

Publication: Available now

Description:

Often photographed in a cowboy hat with her middle finger held defiantly in the air, Florynce "Flo" Kennedy (1916–2000) left a vibrant legacy as a leader of the Black Power and feminist movements. In the first biography of Kennedy, Sherie M. Randolph traces the life and political influence of this strikingly bold and controversial radical activist. Rather than simply reacting to the predominantly white feminist movement, Kennedy brought the lessons of Black Power to white feminism and built bridges in the struggles against racism and sexism. Randolph narrates Kennedy’s progressive upbringing, her path breaking graduation from Columbia Law School, and her long career as a media-savvy activist, showing how Kennedy rose to founding roles in organizations such as the National Black Feminist Organization and the National Organization for Women, allying herself with both white and black activists such as Adam Clayton Powell, H. Rap Brown, Betty Friedan, and Shirley Chisholm.

Making use of an extensive and previously uncollected archive, Randolph demonstrates profound connections within the histories of the new left, civil rights, Black Power, and feminism, showing that black feminism was pivotal in shaping postwar U.S. liberation movements.

Rating: 4 1/2 stars

Review:

When most think of feminists, Gloria Steinem and a few other notables probably come to mind but there were so many other women who fought for women's right but the media didn't seem to focus on them.

This book is about the legendary Florynce "Flo" Kennedy who fought against racism and women's rights for most of her life all the way up until her death. From studying the women's rights movement, I had become familiar with Flo Kennedy but most of the information I had seen about her was small and not very detailed. Which is why when I saw this book on NetGalley I immediately put in a request to read it.

This biography details her life from when she was a child living with her family dealing with the daily stress of segregation to her move to New York City where during World War II she began attending college and later graduated with a law degree. It was a rarity in and of itself since it was still during a time when women let a lone a black woman rarely became lawyers.

She was always at the forefront of various causes that were important to her and was always looking for a way to change the status quo of a racist and sexist society. It's a shame that all her hard work has been nearly erased from history but hopefully this book will show how much she did.

Flo Kennedy was very out spoken and didn't adhere to the "rules" that governed how women were supposed to dress and talk. She made her presence and causes known by not shying away from getting attention. She relished in protesting and tried to make it fun because why make it dreary.

Her approach to change didn't always go over well with some of the feminists but the thing about Flo was she didn't care what any of her critics had to say.

This was very informative and well researched and the reader gets a very good look at who Florynce Kennedy was and what drove her to fight for so many causes. As well written as this was there were times when I found some of the writing repetitive where the author repeated something that was already mentioned earlier. I also found that the introduction was a little slow moving but after that the book flows into a steady read as it showcased a tireless activist, lawyer and writer.