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We Are Each Other's Liberation: Black and Asian Feminist Solidarities
A groundbreaking anthology that illuminates historical and contemporary solidarity between Black and Asian feminists, helping us make sense of the world we’re in and the world we must imagine and build.
For many in the US and abroad, calls to #SayHerName, the uptick in violence against Asian Americans throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, and the 2021 Atlanta spa shootings remain raw and unhealed. Create the World Black and Asian Feminist Solidarities contextualizes a cross-racial feminist politics that explicitly addresses solidarity between Black and Asian feminists. Taken together, the pieces remind us that wherever there is struggle against oppressive systems, there is great possibility for empathy, respect, and solidarity.
A collaborative project between Black Women Radicals and the Asian American Feminist Collective, this unprecedented work brings together organizers, artists, journalists, poets, novelists, and more, introducing readers to new ways of understanding and reflecting on race and feminism. The anthology wrestles with contemporary feminism through a multitude of angles—from the Combahee River Collective to nail salons and massage parlors, from misogynoir to the model minority myth.
This innovative anthology features poetry, critical essays, interviews, creative nonfiction, and other contributions by Barbara Smith, Tamara Nopper, Franny Choi, Sonya Renee Taylor, and other vital, radical, feminist voices.
For many in the US and abroad, calls to #SayHerName, the uptick in violence against Asian Americans throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, and the 2021 Atlanta spa shootings remain raw and unhealed. Create the World Black and Asian Feminist Solidarities contextualizes a cross-racial feminist politics that explicitly addresses solidarity between Black and Asian feminists. Taken together, the pieces remind us that wherever there is struggle against oppressive systems, there is great possibility for empathy, respect, and solidarity.
A collaborative project between Black Women Radicals and the Asian American Feminist Collective, this unprecedented work brings together organizers, artists, journalists, poets, novelists, and more, introducing readers to new ways of understanding and reflecting on race and feminism. The anthology wrestles with contemporary feminism through a multitude of angles—from the Combahee River Collective to nail salons and massage parlors, from misogynoir to the model minority myth.
This innovative anthology features poetry, critical essays, interviews, creative nonfiction, and other contributions by Barbara Smith, Tamara Nopper, Franny Choi, Sonya Renee Taylor, and other vital, radical, feminist voices.
384 pages, Hardcover
First published October 14, 2025
13 people are currently reading
701 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
did-not-finish
September 4, 2025DNF @ 15%
Originally a buddy read with Christina and Mai. But Mai and I dropped out because some of these essays are so academically dense that they aren't accessible to a layperson.
I did like the two pieces on Indo-Caribbean people and Chamorro people though. I'm always open to learning about communities I'm not familiar with.
Thank you to Haymarket Books and NetGalley for this arc.
Originally a buddy read with Christina and Mai. But Mai and I dropped out because some of these essays are so academically dense that they aren't accessible to a layperson.
I did like the two pieces on Indo-Caribbean people and Chamorro people though. I'm always open to learning about communities I'm not familiar with.
Thank you to Haymarket Books and NetGalley for this arc.
October 8, 2025
In terms of content, there is an impressive diversity in both form and topic, aggregating more standard essays and articles, with things such as letters, poetry, interviews. It doesn’t feel like it’s privileging either the academic or the personal, but exploring the ways in which they intertwine and can provide different and complementary perspectives. I particularly appreciate the inclusion of interviews with a variety of different figures from across different movements and groups. They work excellently to gain an insight into the varied and contextual motivations driving different people, their reflections on the past and they ways things have developed, and their guidance for ongoing work. I’m not a poetry person, so I don’t think I can say much on their quality, but I appreciated the inclusion of expressive art in with academic and expository writing. The only chapter I am unsure on is the excerpt of Sharon Bridgforth’s ‘con flama’, only in the sense that I’m not sure the work translated well in text form, but I can appreciate the exposure to an artist I was unfamiliar with and the context of their work. The book is also structured well in terms of how the materials were placed and related to each other, and whilst you could pick and choose what to read based specifically on your interests or goals, it also develops and reasserts themes across the span of the book as a whole collection.
With the amount packed in, it goes for more breadth than depth, but this allows for exposure to a diversity of subject matter, and ideas are explored more meaningfully in consistent themes across chapters. I was expecting a more complete focus on American and perhaps British issues, and whilst there is understandably a degree of Americentrism, there was also such an excellent coverage of global issues and varied backgrounds, and more significantly, the solidarity that has been found and developed through globally interconnected work. There is a focus on both historic and contemporary transnational collaboration and engagement, and the ways that people can seek connectivity and collective solidarity. It feels remarkably balanced in it’s consideration of both the past and the future, discussing history not just in saying what happened, but proactively asking what can be taken forward from it, what can we benefit from, and what can we learn from. There were contributions engaging with a broad range of modalities and viewpoints: disability, diaspora, colourism, caste; working within academia and activism; work as groups, or individually; different modes of activism; focusing on sex work, prison abolition. I think that despite the diversity in perspectives, and the acknowledgement of difference within groups (i.e. caste, colourism, generational, etc.), it successfully avoided feeling like endless ‘factioning’ - rather, that collaboration requires open dialogue about difference. Within acknowledgement and discussion of inter-community wrongs and harms committed against each other, it stresses a recognition of unity within diversity that defies the alienation of groups of people ultimately suffering under the same structures and institutions.
I’d say there is perhaps somewhat a barrier to entry in some of the material, in that some of the essays and articles presume a degree of existing knowledge and understanding of certain subjects and terminology. Having said that, this is not a bad thing, and I ultimately prefer that the writers do not sacrifice nuance or in order to be less challenging, just something I feel may be a bit intimidating in some aspects to a less familiar reader. The variety in subject matter and form means that there are more accessible pieces, and the ideas and in particular the practical prompts are things that I think anyone would benefit from taking in.
Just more broadly and thematically, this felt like a prescient and important book to be reading, something that genuinely worked to make me think and engage with both the material, and my own understanding of it. Discussions of intersectionality and the failings of white feminism often feel focused on the negative spaces and on the excluding of the voices and activity of WOC and other marginalised identities. Whilst this is obviously important to expose, it also feels refreshing and vital to be able to positively explore the work that has been done specifically by Black and Asian women in their own words and spaces. It brings to the forefront their enduring energy and persistence that goes so unrecognised, and in wider discussion often feels replaced with a sense of passivity. It openly confronts how often fight for change and liberation is forced to conform and constrict itself to the same harmful paradigms that necessitate a need for in the first place. Whilst upfront about that difficulty, it prompts reconsideration and interrogation of how these can be challenged and denied, and offers ways of seeking different and liberated methods in one’s own approaches.
I feel often that mainstream coverage of activism and social justice movements seem to disparage genuine connection and emotional investment in current issues and injustice - that respectable politics requires a high-handed detachment from emotion and intimacy. We Are Each Other’s Liberation staunchly argues against such a position, instead stressing how political and social justice work can be driven by one’s personal history, relationships, and love. There’s an encouragement towards proactive self-reflection, and open dialogue with others. It largely avoids becoming saccharine or into a kind of ‘toxic positivity’, and feels insistent that it is not naïve or silly to have genuine belief in the ability of people and the world to do better, that the difficulty of certain dialogues and engagements does not mean their impossibility or that they shouldn't be strived for. In a media and cultural world that seem determined to turn empathy and simple care into things to be mocked, denigrated, and abandoned, this is vital and invigorating.
I’ll list some of the specific chapters that I found particularly interesting or thought-provoking:
- Talila A. Lewis’ ‘Understanding Disability, Ableism, and Incarceration More Expansively’ - comprehensively ties societal marginalisation of disability into the very basis of in a way that feels obvious but that I have never fully considered before.
- Tamara K. Nopper’s ‘On Anti-Black Terror, Captivity, and Black-Korean Conflict’ - delivers a thorough breakdown of the problems with tidying tensions in Black-Asian relations away under the auspices of “mutual misunderstanding”, and asserts that coalition and solidarity need to be fundamentally backed with serious challenging of historical and continued anti-Blackness and power imbalances
- “Tsinia’t”, “Bint Ali”, and Simi Kadirgamar’s ‘Taking Up Each Other’s Cause: A Conversation on Tigray and Kashmire’ - enlightening dialogue about two little covered contemporary injustices, from perspectives deeply embedded within them
- Monaye Johnson’s ‘A Black Feminist Perspective on the Politics of Care’ - an excellent piece that grapples with the complexity of care in life and activism, on being purposeful and discerning in who you give and retract care from, and criticizing the pop culture co-opting of ‘self-care’ as consumerist, thing- and market-based
- Kai Naima Williams’ ‘Dreaming Is Our Radical Inheritance and “radical imagiNation”’ - speaks of the importance of continuously acknowledging the ways in which Black and Asian people have and still do work and fight together, in creating a shared vision of the future
- Noelani Goodyear-Ka’ōpua’s ‘Nā Wāhine Noho Mauna: Leadership, Solidarity, and Gender on Maunakea’ - recounts embracing of Hawaiian ways of ordering the world and engaging in relationships of support within protesting, in defiance of systems imposed by the colonial settler stat
- Priscilla Kounkou-Hoveyda’s ‘Siyah, Hypervisible in Silence is Violence’ - provides a personal and painful account of her experience of racism and colourism as a Black-Iranian.
- Kate Zen and SX Noir in ‘”We Lead the World’s Liberation: A Conversation with Sex Work Activists’ - a frank and enlightening dialogue highlighting the role of sex workers in activism, challenging a normative image of the sex worker as passive and eternal victim
- “Tsinia’t”, “Bint Ali”, and Simi Kadigirmar’s ‘Taking Up Each Other’s Cause: A Conversation on Tigray and Kashmire’ - highlighting two very ignored ongoing injustices through discussion.
- Rosa Bordello’s ‘The Breadfruit Does Not Float Far From the Tree’ - a sensitive and warm consideration on her own identity, through her reflections on breadfruit and it’s role in Chamorro culture and her family
- Sonya Renee Taylor’s ‘Unapologetic Agreements’ - provides pragmatic and frank guidance on a “radical love that creates justice and equity in the world”, both hopeful and realistic
- An interview with Loretta J. Ross in ‘Toward Transnational Futures’ - particularly when she reminds that compassion should not be rooted in unitary directional relationships, but in our own integrity and belief in what is wrong and what needs to be fought
With the amount packed in, it goes for more breadth than depth, but this allows for exposure to a diversity of subject matter, and ideas are explored more meaningfully in consistent themes across chapters. I was expecting a more complete focus on American and perhaps British issues, and whilst there is understandably a degree of Americentrism, there was also such an excellent coverage of global issues and varied backgrounds, and more significantly, the solidarity that has been found and developed through globally interconnected work. There is a focus on both historic and contemporary transnational collaboration and engagement, and the ways that people can seek connectivity and collective solidarity. It feels remarkably balanced in it’s consideration of both the past and the future, discussing history not just in saying what happened, but proactively asking what can be taken forward from it, what can we benefit from, and what can we learn from. There were contributions engaging with a broad range of modalities and viewpoints: disability, diaspora, colourism, caste; working within academia and activism; work as groups, or individually; different modes of activism; focusing on sex work, prison abolition. I think that despite the diversity in perspectives, and the acknowledgement of difference within groups (i.e. caste, colourism, generational, etc.), it successfully avoided feeling like endless ‘factioning’ - rather, that collaboration requires open dialogue about difference. Within acknowledgement and discussion of inter-community wrongs and harms committed against each other, it stresses a recognition of unity within diversity that defies the alienation of groups of people ultimately suffering under the same structures and institutions.
I’d say there is perhaps somewhat a barrier to entry in some of the material, in that some of the essays and articles presume a degree of existing knowledge and understanding of certain subjects and terminology. Having said that, this is not a bad thing, and I ultimately prefer that the writers do not sacrifice nuance or in order to be less challenging, just something I feel may be a bit intimidating in some aspects to a less familiar reader. The variety in subject matter and form means that there are more accessible pieces, and the ideas and in particular the practical prompts are things that I think anyone would benefit from taking in.
Just more broadly and thematically, this felt like a prescient and important book to be reading, something that genuinely worked to make me think and engage with both the material, and my own understanding of it. Discussions of intersectionality and the failings of white feminism often feel focused on the negative spaces and on the excluding of the voices and activity of WOC and other marginalised identities. Whilst this is obviously important to expose, it also feels refreshing and vital to be able to positively explore the work that has been done specifically by Black and Asian women in their own words and spaces. It brings to the forefront their enduring energy and persistence that goes so unrecognised, and in wider discussion often feels replaced with a sense of passivity. It openly confronts how often fight for change and liberation is forced to conform and constrict itself to the same harmful paradigms that necessitate a need for in the first place. Whilst upfront about that difficulty, it prompts reconsideration and interrogation of how these can be challenged and denied, and offers ways of seeking different and liberated methods in one’s own approaches.
I feel often that mainstream coverage of activism and social justice movements seem to disparage genuine connection and emotional investment in current issues and injustice - that respectable politics requires a high-handed detachment from emotion and intimacy. We Are Each Other’s Liberation staunchly argues against such a position, instead stressing how political and social justice work can be driven by one’s personal history, relationships, and love. There’s an encouragement towards proactive self-reflection, and open dialogue with others. It largely avoids becoming saccharine or into a kind of ‘toxic positivity’, and feels insistent that it is not naïve or silly to have genuine belief in the ability of people and the world to do better, that the difficulty of certain dialogues and engagements does not mean their impossibility or that they shouldn't be strived for. In a media and cultural world that seem determined to turn empathy and simple care into things to be mocked, denigrated, and abandoned, this is vital and invigorating.
I’ll list some of the specific chapters that I found particularly interesting or thought-provoking:
- Talila A. Lewis’ ‘Understanding Disability, Ableism, and Incarceration More Expansively’ - comprehensively ties societal marginalisation of disability into the very basis of in a way that feels obvious but that I have never fully considered before.
- Tamara K. Nopper’s ‘On Anti-Black Terror, Captivity, and Black-Korean Conflict’ - delivers a thorough breakdown of the problems with tidying tensions in Black-Asian relations away under the auspices of “mutual misunderstanding”, and asserts that coalition and solidarity need to be fundamentally backed with serious challenging of historical and continued anti-Blackness and power imbalances
- “Tsinia’t”, “Bint Ali”, and Simi Kadirgamar’s ‘Taking Up Each Other’s Cause: A Conversation on Tigray and Kashmire’ - enlightening dialogue about two little covered contemporary injustices, from perspectives deeply embedded within them
- Monaye Johnson’s ‘A Black Feminist Perspective on the Politics of Care’ - an excellent piece that grapples with the complexity of care in life and activism, on being purposeful and discerning in who you give and retract care from, and criticizing the pop culture co-opting of ‘self-care’ as consumerist, thing- and market-based
- Kai Naima Williams’ ‘Dreaming Is Our Radical Inheritance and “radical imagiNation”’ - speaks of the importance of continuously acknowledging the ways in which Black and Asian people have and still do work and fight together, in creating a shared vision of the future
- Noelani Goodyear-Ka’ōpua’s ‘Nā Wāhine Noho Mauna: Leadership, Solidarity, and Gender on Maunakea’ - recounts embracing of Hawaiian ways of ordering the world and engaging in relationships of support within protesting, in defiance of systems imposed by the colonial settler stat
- Priscilla Kounkou-Hoveyda’s ‘Siyah, Hypervisible in Silence is Violence’ - provides a personal and painful account of her experience of racism and colourism as a Black-Iranian.
- Kate Zen and SX Noir in ‘”We Lead the World’s Liberation: A Conversation with Sex Work Activists’ - a frank and enlightening dialogue highlighting the role of sex workers in activism, challenging a normative image of the sex worker as passive and eternal victim
- “Tsinia’t”, “Bint Ali”, and Simi Kadigirmar’s ‘Taking Up Each Other’s Cause: A Conversation on Tigray and Kashmire’ - highlighting two very ignored ongoing injustices through discussion.
- Rosa Bordello’s ‘The Breadfruit Does Not Float Far From the Tree’ - a sensitive and warm consideration on her own identity, through her reflections on breadfruit and it’s role in Chamorro culture and her family
- Sonya Renee Taylor’s ‘Unapologetic Agreements’ - provides pragmatic and frank guidance on a “radical love that creates justice and equity in the world”, both hopeful and realistic
- An interview with Loretta J. Ross in ‘Toward Transnational Futures’ - particularly when she reminds that compassion should not be rooted in unitary directional relationships, but in our own integrity and belief in what is wrong and what needs to be fought
February 26, 2026
An amazing read, just really challenging. Without an academic background in gender studies, I'm not sure how accessible all these texts are. Still highly recommend!
Overall: (4 ⭐)
However, some 5⭐ reads within the collection:
Ch. 17 "Reviving the History of Radical Black-Asian Internationalism" by Minju Bae and Mark Tseng-Putterman
Ch. 24 "Beyond Gilded Cages: South Asians for Abolition" by Mon M.
Ch. 32 "From the Other Coast, with Love" by Zuri Gordon and Cecile A
Ch. 38 "Reimagining the Autistic Mother Tongue" by Jane Shi
Ch. 41 "Dreaming Is Our Radical Inheritance and "radical imagiNation"" by Kai Naima Williams
Ch. 43 "Toward Transnational Feminist Futures" by Loretta J. Ross interviewed by the Editors
Overall: (4 ⭐)
However, some 5⭐ reads within the collection:
Ch. 17 "Reviving the History of Radical Black-Asian Internationalism" by Minju Bae and Mark Tseng-Putterman
Ch. 24 "Beyond Gilded Cages: South Asians for Abolition" by Mon M.
Ch. 32 "From the Other Coast, with Love" by Zuri Gordon and Cecile A
Ch. 38 "Reimagining the Autistic Mother Tongue" by Jane Shi
Ch. 41 "Dreaming Is Our Radical Inheritance and "radical imagiNation"" by Kai Naima Williams
Ch. 43 "Toward Transnational Feminist Futures" by Loretta J. Ross interviewed by the Editors
October 25, 2025
absolutely phenomenal. a must read.
October 27, 2025
Haven’t finished all of it but love the poem by Zuri Gordon!!
November 28, 2025
Thank you to Haymarket Books and NetGalley for the free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review
This was an anguish-inducing DNF at 41%. I really wanted to be able to get through this, but finally had to admit that I wasn’t getting as much out of it as I’d wanted.
The topic of Black-Asian resentment/collective action is an important one. Speaking as an Asian person myself, I see anti-Blackness in our community every day, across socioeconomic and national divides. This, combined with white supremacy’s tendency to use Asians (and white-presenting Latinx) as a carrot in the awful game of race relations, has naturally led to a general distrust or dismissal of Asian concerns in some parts of the Black community. All of this discord only serves its master of white supremacy, as a “divide and conquer” tactic to entrench racial disharmony between our two groups, so that we are not collectively fighting against systemic racial injustices.
My problem is that I wanted more dialogue between Black and Asian authors in this collection. This is very much a disparate collection of dozens of Black and Asian authors each writing about what they know and are passionate about, but not really listening to, learning from, and responding to one another. I was really hoping for more authors from either racial group to address entrenched and ongoing anti-Blackness/Asian hate, but most essays instead focused on what the authors themselves did. As such, I felt there was still a “Black vs Asian” divide across these writings that this anthology did not overcome.
Some of these essays are phenomenal must-reads. Talila A. Lewis’ “Understanding Disability, Ableism, and Incarceration More Expansively” hammered home for me why ableism is capitalistic by nature (valuing people based on the potential labor that can be extracted from them) and thus must be abolished. Tamara K. Nopper’s “On Anti-Black Terror, Captivity, and Black-Korean Conflict” explains how a misguided “mutual misunderstanding” framework between racialized communities promulgates anti-Blackness by claiming that racism against Blacks and racism against Asians is equal, and thus Blacks claiming bigoted treatment by Asians are committing “reverse racism” (though this ignores the structural aspects of race). By and large, however, I wanted a tighter collection of essays, rather than the breadth that the editors chose instead.
The nuggets of wisdom I found within the pages of WE ARE EACH OTHER’S LIBERATION mean this is a very conflicted DNF for me, and I may return at a later date to this collection to see if I can learn anything more from it. In terms of tone, information, and writing I'd say that it reminds me most of Wake Up America: Black Women on the Future of Democracy, another book whose message was important but which as a whole didn't quite entirely cohere for me.
This was an anguish-inducing DNF at 41%. I really wanted to be able to get through this, but finally had to admit that I wasn’t getting as much out of it as I’d wanted.
The topic of Black-Asian resentment/collective action is an important one. Speaking as an Asian person myself, I see anti-Blackness in our community every day, across socioeconomic and national divides. This, combined with white supremacy’s tendency to use Asians (and white-presenting Latinx) as a carrot in the awful game of race relations, has naturally led to a general distrust or dismissal of Asian concerns in some parts of the Black community. All of this discord only serves its master of white supremacy, as a “divide and conquer” tactic to entrench racial disharmony between our two groups, so that we are not collectively fighting against systemic racial injustices.
My problem is that I wanted more dialogue between Black and Asian authors in this collection. This is very much a disparate collection of dozens of Black and Asian authors each writing about what they know and are passionate about, but not really listening to, learning from, and responding to one another. I was really hoping for more authors from either racial group to address entrenched and ongoing anti-Blackness/Asian hate, but most essays instead focused on what the authors themselves did. As such, I felt there was still a “Black vs Asian” divide across these writings that this anthology did not overcome.
Some of these essays are phenomenal must-reads. Talila A. Lewis’ “Understanding Disability, Ableism, and Incarceration More Expansively” hammered home for me why ableism is capitalistic by nature (valuing people based on the potential labor that can be extracted from them) and thus must be abolished. Tamara K. Nopper’s “On Anti-Black Terror, Captivity, and Black-Korean Conflict” explains how a misguided “mutual misunderstanding” framework between racialized communities promulgates anti-Blackness by claiming that racism against Blacks and racism against Asians is equal, and thus Blacks claiming bigoted treatment by Asians are committing “reverse racism” (though this ignores the structural aspects of race). By and large, however, I wanted a tighter collection of essays, rather than the breadth that the editors chose instead.
The nuggets of wisdom I found within the pages of WE ARE EACH OTHER’S LIBERATION mean this is a very conflicted DNF for me, and I may return at a later date to this collection to see if I can learn anything more from it. In terms of tone, information, and writing I'd say that it reminds me most of Wake Up America: Black Women on the Future of Democracy, another book whose message was important but which as a whole didn't quite entirely cohere for me.
October 12, 2025
📚 Nonfiction | 🧠 Intersectional Feminism | 🕊️ Solidarity-Building
📖 Initial Vibes: Picked this up because I’ve been craving a deeply thoughtful, nuanced exploration of how Black and Asian-American communities can build solidarity. This is not a surface-level “let’s all just get along” book. It’s rigorous, generous, and urgently needed.
💫 What It’s About: Structured like a series of essays in dialogue, this work explores the historic and contemporary frictions and alliances between Black and Asian feminist movements in the U.S. The authors unpack histories of division (including how white supremacy has weaponized wedge politics), but also illuminate past and present moments of cross-racial, cross-cultural coalition-building. It asks: What does it mean to truly be in solidarity? What does reckoning and repair look like?
💖 What I Loved:
The concept of “mutual misunderstanding” will stay with me for a long time. It offers a way to hold space for harm that occurs between marginalized groups without flattening the power dynamics or erasing shared struggles under white supremacy.
The historical grounding: this is not just about contemporary social media discourse; it’s about immigration policy, carceral systems, redlining, anti-Black racism, and the Model Minority myth.
The essay format creates a chorus rather than a single voice. Each contributor brings their own lens, and the result is a powerful conversation between thinkers, not a monologue.
The book doesn’t shy away from hard truths: xenophobia, anti-Blackness, silence in the face of violence, and the commodification of solidarity are all on the table. However, the tone remains hopeful, grounded in the conviction that abolition, feminism, and community care are attainable.
It's not preachy. It's generous. It invites the reader in even when that reader (me!) has a lot to unlearn.
🧁 Vibe Check:
🧵 Threading histories of harm with threads of healing
🧭 Guided by Black and Asian feminist elders
🗣️ Smart people having hard conversations with love
🔥 Political and personal without separating the two
🫂 Full of accountability, care, and transformative possibility
👀 What I Didn’t Love: This is not a “what I didn’t love,” but a gentle heads-up: this book asks you to slow down and engage. It’s not written for quick consumption and that’s a strength. But you may want to read it in small bites, journal through it, or discuss it with others.
📝 Final Thoughts: This book is a must-read for anyone interested in the future of multiracial feminist organizing. It offers the clarity of history and the vision of collective liberation by embracing the messy, difficult, vital work of understanding and showing up for one another. Perfect for book clubs, classrooms, community discussions, or anyone seeking to transition from allyship to solidarity.
⭐️ Rating: 5/5 — Required reading for the world we live in and the one we hope to build.
📚 Recommend to: Readers of Minor Feelings, Sister Outsider, The Combahee River Collective Statement, and We Too: Essays on Sex Work and Survival.
📖 Initial Vibes: Picked this up because I’ve been craving a deeply thoughtful, nuanced exploration of how Black and Asian-American communities can build solidarity. This is not a surface-level “let’s all just get along” book. It’s rigorous, generous, and urgently needed.
💫 What It’s About: Structured like a series of essays in dialogue, this work explores the historic and contemporary frictions and alliances between Black and Asian feminist movements in the U.S. The authors unpack histories of division (including how white supremacy has weaponized wedge politics), but also illuminate past and present moments of cross-racial, cross-cultural coalition-building. It asks: What does it mean to truly be in solidarity? What does reckoning and repair look like?
💖 What I Loved:
The concept of “mutual misunderstanding” will stay with me for a long time. It offers a way to hold space for harm that occurs between marginalized groups without flattening the power dynamics or erasing shared struggles under white supremacy.
The historical grounding: this is not just about contemporary social media discourse; it’s about immigration policy, carceral systems, redlining, anti-Black racism, and the Model Minority myth.
The essay format creates a chorus rather than a single voice. Each contributor brings their own lens, and the result is a powerful conversation between thinkers, not a monologue.
The book doesn’t shy away from hard truths: xenophobia, anti-Blackness, silence in the face of violence, and the commodification of solidarity are all on the table. However, the tone remains hopeful, grounded in the conviction that abolition, feminism, and community care are attainable.
It's not preachy. It's generous. It invites the reader in even when that reader (me!) has a lot to unlearn.
🧁 Vibe Check:
🧵 Threading histories of harm with threads of healing
🧭 Guided by Black and Asian feminist elders
🗣️ Smart people having hard conversations with love
🔥 Political and personal without separating the two
🫂 Full of accountability, care, and transformative possibility
👀 What I Didn’t Love: This is not a “what I didn’t love,” but a gentle heads-up: this book asks you to slow down and engage. It’s not written for quick consumption and that’s a strength. But you may want to read it in small bites, journal through it, or discuss it with others.
📝 Final Thoughts: This book is a must-read for anyone interested in the future of multiracial feminist organizing. It offers the clarity of history and the vision of collective liberation by embracing the messy, difficult, vital work of understanding and showing up for one another. Perfect for book clubs, classrooms, community discussions, or anyone seeking to transition from allyship to solidarity.
⭐️ Rating: 5/5 — Required reading for the world we live in and the one we hope to build.
📚 Recommend to: Readers of Minor Feelings, Sister Outsider, The Combahee River Collective Statement, and We Too: Essays on Sex Work and Survival.
October 13, 2025
"We Are Each Other's Liberation" is a thorough primer on the intersection of Black and Asian liberation contexts. This collection of essays offers readers an introduction to critical contexts that are often overlooked and ignored in academic contexts. The strengths of the text include: wide range of writing types (prose, poetry), rooted in theory, and rooted in current events. However, this book is not necessarily for everyone. It leans heavily toward an academic tone, which some lay readers may find cumbersome or too heavy. This book would benefit students in women's studies, education, and critical studies who are seeking a way forward.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews