Salsa Soul Sisters
Encyclopedia
The Salsa Soul Sisters, Third World Wimmin Inc Collective was the first "out" organization for lesbians
, womanists
and women of color
in New York City
. The group is now the oldest black lesbian organization in the United States
.
. They originally called themselves the Third World Gay Women's Association, with the informal moniker 'Salsa-Soul Sisters'.
, which had "historically exploited and discriminated against lesbians of color". The Sisters started by "searching out each other, because of the strong needs we have in common" but also to "grow to understand the ways in which we differ."
Original sisters included founders Achebe Betty Powell (then Betty Jean Powell) and the Reverend Dolores Jackson, along with Harriet Austin, Sonia Bailey, Luvenia Pinson, Candice Boyce and Maua Flowers
Early collective member and activist Candice Boyce noted that, at the time of the group's founding, "there was no other place for women of color to go and sit down and talk about what it means to be a black lesbian in America" The founders hoped to create "an organization that is helpful and inspiring to third world gay women" and to "share in the strengthening and productivity of the whole gay community."
The Jemima Writers Collective was formed by members of the Salsa Soul Sisters to "meet the need for creative/artistic expression and to create a supportive atmosphere in which Black women could share their work and begin to eradicate negative self images."
(Published c1977-1983), and Salsa Soul Gayzette, (published: c1982)
. The group is "committed to the spiritual, cultural, educational, economic and social empowerment of African Ancestral womyn".
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
, womanists
Womanism
The word womanism was adapted from Pulitzer Prize winning author Alice Walker's use of the term in her book In Search of Our Mothers' Gardens: Womanist Prose...
and women of color
Person of color
Person of color is a term used, primarily in the United States, to describe all people who are not white. The term is meant to be inclusive among non-white groups, emphasizing common experiences of racism...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. The group is now the oldest black lesbian organization in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Black Lesbian Caucus
The Salsa Soul Sisters grew out of the Black Lesbian Caucus of the New York City Gay Activists Alliance (GAA), which in turn split in 1971 from the original Gay Liberation FrontGay Liberation Front
Gay Liberation Front was the name of a number of Gay Liberation groups, the first of which was formed in New York City in 1969, immediately after the Stonewall riots, in which police clashed with gay demonstrators.-The Gay Liberation Front:...
. They originally called themselves the Third World Gay Women's Association, with the informal moniker 'Salsa-Soul Sisters'.
Salsa Soul Sisters
In 1974 the Black Lesbian Caucus reformulated itself as Salsa Soul Sisters, Third World Wimmin Inc, an autonomous group of Black and Latina lesbians offering its members a social and political alternative to the lesbian and gay barsGay bar
A gay bar is a drinking establishment that caters to an exclusively or predominantly gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender clientele; the term gay is used as a broadly inclusive concept for LGBT and queer communities...
, which had "historically exploited and discriminated against lesbians of color". The Sisters started by "searching out each other, because of the strong needs we have in common" but also to "grow to understand the ways in which we differ."
Original sisters included founders Achebe Betty Powell (then Betty Jean Powell) and the Reverend Dolores Jackson, along with Harriet Austin, Sonia Bailey, Luvenia Pinson, Candice Boyce and Maua Flowers
Early collective member and activist Candice Boyce noted that, at the time of the group's founding, "there was no other place for women of color to go and sit down and talk about what it means to be a black lesbian in America" The founders hoped to create "an organization that is helpful and inspiring to third world gay women" and to "share in the strengthening and productivity of the whole gay community."
The Jemima Writers Collective was formed by members of the Salsa Soul Sisters to "meet the need for creative/artistic expression and to create a supportive atmosphere in which Black women could share their work and begin to eradicate negative self images."
Publications
Salsa Soul Sisters published several quarterly magazines, including Azalea: A Magazine by Third World LesbiansAzalea: A Magazine by Third World Lesbians
Azalea: A Magazine by Third World Lesbians was a quarterly periodical for black and Latina lesbians published between 1977-1983 by the Salsa Soul Sisters, Third World Wimmin Inc Collective...
(Published c1977-1983), and Salsa Soul Gayzette, (published: c1982)
African Ancestral Lesbians United for Societal Change
The Salsa Soul Sisters, Third World Wimmin Inc Collective has changed their name to the African Ancestral Lesbians United for Societal ChangeSalsa Soul Sisters
The Salsa Soul Sisters, Third World Wimmin Inc Collective was the first "out" organization for lesbians, womanists and women of color in New York City...
. The group is "committed to the spiritual, cultural, educational, economic and social empowerment of African Ancestral womyn".
External links
- Aalusc at Lesbian Herstory Archives
- African Ancestral Lesbians United for Social Change, Columbia UniversityColumbia UniversityColumbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
description of Social Movements. Retrieved on 24 March 2008.