Discussion Guide
Women, Race & Class
These book club questions are from the Blue Earth County Library System.
Book club questions for Women, Race & Class by Angela Y. Davis
Use these discussion questions to guide your next book club meeting.
According to Davis, what kinds of concerns prevented working-class women from prioritizing activism against sexism and becoming involved in the struggle for the vote?
What did women like Susan B. Anthony hope to gain through woman suffrage? What about women like Leonora O'Reilly? What motivated African American support for woman suffrage?
What kinds of logics were used by different communities to argue for woman suffrage?
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Create My ClubHow did men of different communities react differently to campaigns for woman suffrage? Why?
What reasons were commonly given to explain why women of color were largely absent from campaigns for abortion rights? What explanation does Davis give?
What does Davis mean when she distinguishes between being "pro-abortion" and favoring abortion rights? (Careful, it's not what you might guess.) Why does she put working-class women in the second group? How was motherhood viewed differently by working-class and middle-class women?
How is racism fundamental to the history of birth control in the U.S.? How was the political significance given to birth control different for white, middle-class women than for working-class women of color?
Women, Race & Class Book Club Questions PDF
Download a printable PDF of these discussion questions to bring to your meeting.