We Who Believe in Freedom: Black Feminist D.C.

DC Public Library is proud to host We Who Believe in Freedom: Black Feminist DC, presented as part of a groundbreaking partnership with the National Women’s History Museum. We Who Believe in Freedom: Black Feminist DC traces Black feminism in Washington, D.C. from the turn of the 20th century through the civil rights and Black Power movements to today.

We Who Believe in Freedom: Black Feminist DC will trace Black feminism in Washington, D.C. from the turn of the 20th century through the civil rights and Black Power movements to today.

Curated by renowned historians Sherie M. Randolph and Kendra T. Field, the exhibition will focus on the stories and voices of Black feminist organizers and theorists—including Anna Julia Cooper, Eleanor Holmes Norton, Mary Treadwell, and Nkenge Touré—whose expansive work made a difference in the lives of Black women in their Washington, D.C. communities and for all people throughout the United States. Standing at the intersection of race, class, and gender, Black feminists fought for a definition of freedom and liberation that extended beyond their individual circumstances—work that remains unfinished today.

Explore further learning resources on We Who Belive in Freedom: Black Feminist DC at the National Women’s History Museum’s website.

Visit the exhibition in person at the MLK Library on the west side of the first floor through Sept. 2024.

Take a Free Guided Tour

Visit We Who Believe in Freedom: Black Feminist DC in person as part of a free guided tour of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library. During your tour, a guide from the Library will share the transformed flagship library and take you through our special exhibition on the first floor as part of the tour.

To request a tour of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library and Black Feminist DC, email library.tours@dc.gov with your preferred date and time.

The National Women's History Museum is hosting other great Black Feminist DC events! Click the button below to see what is coming up on the calendar.

We Who Believe in Freedom Black Feminist DC Events