This powerful study of the womens movement in the U.S. from abolitionist days to the present demonstrates how it has always been hampered by the racist and classist biases of its leaders. One of the most brilliant and courageous women of our generation, Angela Yvonne Davis shows that both sexism and racism are deeply rooted in class oppression, and that neither can be eradicated without destroying the dominant patriarchal economic system. By analysing both the differences and the similarities between the experiences of black and white women, she casts new light on the past and present struggles for human rights.