Conclusion

Seidman reflects on what has changed since 2012, when Who Needs Feminism launched, and argues that the year can be seen as a turning point in feminist activism, particularly around the use of the internet and social media. She discusses the changing political context since she finished interviewing in the summer of 2016, with the election of Donald Trump. She argues that the interviews help explain the success of the Women’s March on Washington and of the #MeToo movement, by highlighting the long years of organizing and the connections that had been made across organizations and causes, in part inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement. The oral history interviews collected here allow us to look back on a particular moment in time and to reflect on how individual women’s personal decisions and political actions intertwine with the contexts in which they happen—familial, social, political, global. They show how individuals contribute to shaping the world around them. They also help us see in detail how a movement grows; it does not simply emerge whole cloth from a particular event but builds on the connections, successes, and challenges of those who were active before.