When the Bridge Is Also the Foundation: Lessons Learned From Intergenerational Women of Color

• In Event: Living This Bridge Called Our Backs: An Intergenerational Dialogue by Women of Color

Abstract

As children, WOC often sit at the knees of our grandmothers listening to their stories. As we grow into womanhood, it is these stories that strengthen and guide us. As collectors of these stories, it is not our work to hold on to them, but to share them with the next generation, to give them the strength they need to become the women they were meant to be. In this essay, Discussant 1 will explore (through the session papers and This Bridge) how both are foundations for the bridge she is becoming, and how they also serve to “bridge” the gap between the generations of women of color. For Discussant 2,


This Bridge was foundational for her work as a woman of color scholar. Like many WOC, it helped her see that we all stand on the shoulders of the women who came before us and the oppressions we face are not new but a repackaged version of what our foremothers faced. In building on the work of This Bridge, the scholars in this session have built a bridge for her work. By continuing to contribute to feminist theory for women of color and standing strongly in WOC feminisms in the work, Discussant 2’s response will synthesize and highlight the necessity of bridges as foundations for women of color scholars.

Authors

• Nicholl Denice Montgomery, Boston College

• Kristen Duncan, Clemson University