Revolutionary Bonds: Women of Color, the Global South and Transnational Activism in the Cold War (1970-1989)

Amidst the upheavals of the long '68, various organizations emerged, drawing inspiration from the Black Power Movement, Second Wave feminism, and the New Left. Among the most influential forces in grassroots activism were Black feminist organizations, which played a crucial role in increasing the participation of marginalized women of color in various campaigns. However, historians have often overlooked how these diverse Black feminist organizations established connections with countries in the Global South during the latter part of the Cold War. This paper highlights the transnational relationships between women of color organizations and the Global South by examining the extensive history of the Third World Women’s Alliance (TWWA). With chapters across the United States, the TWWA was a multiracial, Marxist organization that advocated for reproductive rights and emphasized solidarity with Cuba and Vietnam. In the 1980s, the TWWA evolved to include white women, transforming into the Alliance Against Women’s Oppression (AAWO) while promoting solidarity with the Global South, particularly with Central America. By organizing various cultural events in the U.S. featuring women from the 'Third World,' both organizations reinforced their Third Worldist perspectives, thereby internationalizing discussions on the intersections of race, class, and gender. As this paper underscores, analyzing the extensive history of the TWWA can offer insights into how transnational solidarity was harnessed to condemn the impact of racial capitalism in the U.S. and globally, envisioning the formation of a global women's community that unites minorities in the U.S. with those in the Global South.

Bruno Walter Renato Toscano is a postdoc fellow at Ca’Foscari University of Venice and he is part of the ERC project “ WO-NAM". His research focuses on the history of transnational women of color and reproductive rights in the United States from an international and intersectional perspective. He is currently working on a forthcoming book on the long history of the Third World Women’s Alliance. Walter is also the author of "Black Panthers, White America: History and Politics of the Black Panther Party,” the first book in Italian, based on archival sources, on the history and political thought of the Black Panther Party.

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