1916 – 2000
Florence 'Flo' Kennedy (1916–2000) was an American lawyer, activist, and radical feminist intellectual whose work bridged Black liberation and second-wave feminism. A graduate of Columbia Law School, she used legal practice, public organizing, and rhetorical provocation to challenge systemic racism and sexism simultaneously. She is recognized as an early practitioner of intersectional politics before the term was formalized.
One of the first Black women to graduate from Columbia Law School (1951)
Founded the Feminist Party in 1971, nominating Shirley Chisholm for president
Co-founded the National Black Feminist Organization (1973)
Pioneered intersectional advocacy linking race, gender, and class oppression decades before the term was coined
Authored 'Color Me Flo' (1976), a memoir articulating her theory of radical political organizing