Angela Davis, the legendary activist, scholar and author known for her decades of work in racial justice, prison abolition and Black feminist thought, will deliver the keynote address at Get Free: A Black Feminist Reunion, taking place in New Orleans right now.
Organized by Black Feminist Future, the three-day national convening, which started on June 5th and runs through June 7th is expected to be the largest Black feminist gathering in the U.S., drawing more than 500 attendees. The event will focus on movement building, advocacy training, political education and healing.
“This is not just a conference to dress up and have a good time,” said Paris Hatcher, executive director of Black Feminist Future, in an interview with The Washington Informer. “We’re building power to address the conditions that are putting our lives at risk — whether that’s policing, reproductive injustice, or economic inequality.”
The theme for this year’s gathering, “Get Free,” continues the legacy of radical Black feminist organizing that dates back to the 1973 National Black Women’s Organization conference.
Davis has long called attention to the ways Black women have been excluded from mainstream feminist movements. In a 2019 oral history interview with the National Museum of African American History and Culture, she reflected on her early views of feminism: “Even when I myself refused to identify with feminism, I realized that it was a certain kind of feminism,” she said. “It was a feminism of those women who weren’t really concerned with equality for all women.”
Workshops will include training on resisting evictions, organizing against immigration enforcement and challenging incarceration. Attendees can also expect political education sessions, interactive labs and moments of cultural celebration, including performances by Tank and the Bangas and visual art exhibitions.
Honorees at the 2025 event include Billy Avery, Ericka Huggins and Alexis Pauline Gumbs. Programming will be guided by three core workshop tracks: Joyful Connection, Skill Building and Consciousness Building. Attendees will also have access to a film festival (Scenes of Solidarity), the Irresistible Revolution art gallery and the Skill Up, Fight Back Liberation Learning Lab. The weekend will conclude with the North Star Gala, honoring Black feminist changemakers.
“Black feminism is not a rejection of men,” Hatcher told The Washington Informer. “It’s a rejection of patriarchy. Black men must be part of this struggle because patriarchy harms them too.”
She added that Black feminist liberation strengthens not just individuals, but families and communities.“If we want to talk about strong Blac