A Place to Call My Own: Combahee Wisdom for the Womanist Theological Classroom

Existing for only six years, the Combahee River Collective has had a long-term impact on Black feminist organizing, teaching, and writing through the 1977 publication of its Combahee River Collective Statement. This paper explores how the Combahee River Collective Statement’s themes—genesis, values, burdens, and focus—offers a vital framework for transformative pedagogy by womanist theologians and religious scholars. Key principles include embracing an outsider identity, decolonizing assessment, addressing emotional labor, and centering Black feminist perspectives. By reflecting on a crisis in a racial reconciliation course, this presentation illustrates how womanist pedagogy fosters liberatory learning spaces, breaking free from double consciousness to cultivate classrooms committed to survival, wholeness, and courageous exploration.