A critical review of Catherine Knight Steele’s Digital Black Feminism, exploring how Black women shape and resist digital culture through community, creativity, and care.

Michaela Jackson

A Book Review

Abstract

Catherine Knight Steele’s Digital Black Feminism reclaims the long-overlooked relationship between technology and Black feminist thought, positioning Black women at the forefront of digital culture. While mainstream conversations about technology frequently center white men as innovators, Black men as racialized users, and white women as feminist voices, Steele pushes against these narratives, demonstrating that Black women’s engagement with technology is neither new nor incidental—it is foundational. Steele introduces the concept of Black Feminist Technoculture, which highlights how Black women have historically leveraged technology for survival, self-expression, and activism. She uses the virtual beauty shop as a metaphor to illustrate how Black women create, maintain, and expand digital spaces for community, business, and knowledge-sharing. Through this lens, Steele presents Black women not just as participants in digital culture but as architects of its most influential practices. By tracing Black feminist discourse across different technological moments—from early Black newspapers and radio to blogs, social media, and beyond—Steele constructs a genealogy of Black women’s digital labor, activism, and intellectual contributions. She also interrogates how capitalism, mainstream media, and platform algorithms have commodified and reshaped Black feminism in ways that often distort its radical potential. This book is both an academic intervention and a cultural critique. Steele does not just explore how Black women engage with technology; she asks:

How has Black feminism shaped digital culture?
How do Black women use digital spaces to challenge oppression and build community?
What does the rise of branded, commodified feminism mean for the future of Black feminist activism?

By the end of Digital Black Feminism, it is clear thatBlack women are not just digital users—they are defining the future of online discourse, activism, and innovation.

Introduction

Catherine Knight Steele’s Digital Black Feminism critically examines how Black feminist thought and technology intersect, arguing that Black women have always been central to digital culture, even when mainstream narratives exclude them. In a landscape that often centers white male technological innovation and white feminist discourse, Steele reclaims Black women’s historical and ongoing role as creators, organizers, and thought leaders in the digital space. The book employs the metaphor of the virtual beauty shop to illuminate Black women’s technical skills, communicative expertise, and entrepreneurial ingenuity. Just as physical beauty shops have historically provided safe, communal spaces for Black women, digital spaces created by Black women serve as platforms for self-expression, activism, and financial independence. Steele challenges the assumption that Black women’s presence in digital spaces is merely reactive—instead, she argues that they are architects of digital culture, shaping trends, discourse, and activism. This review explores how Digital Black Feminism repositions Black women as technologists, cultural producers, and digital innovators. By analyzing Steele’s historical framework, conceptual metaphors, and case studies, this essay examines how the book highlights the transformative power of digital Black feminism while also raising critical concerns about its commodification and mainstream co-optation.

Chapter 1: For the Black Girls Who Don't Code

The chapter “For the Black Girls Who Don’t Code” critiques the ongoing, often overlooked intersectionality of race, gender, and technology. Steele challenges narratives that center white male technological expertise and question the effectiveness of initiatives like Black Girls CODE, which are aimed at addressing the digital gap for Black girls and women. Steele argues that Black girls and women have long exhibited digital expertise, which has often been overlooked, and asserts that simply promoting coding as the solution to the lack of Black women in technology does not address deeper systemic issues. Instead of focusing on coding as a singular solution, Steele advocates for an analytical framework that positions Black women as central figures in digital studies. The chapter critiques how research often treats Black women’s engagement with technology as homogenous or uses Black men as the representative figures for the Black experience in digital spaces. Steele emphasizes the need for scholars to consider the complex intersectionality that influences how Black women interact with digital technologies. She writes: *“Black American women have a technological capability built on the legacy of enslavement, rebellion, and resilience in the U.S. context. It was from this legacy that Black American women learned the skills to craft intentional discourses of resistance online” (Steele 10).* By addressing issues like algorithmic bias and online harassment, Steele underscores the unique role Black women play in shaping digital spaces, while also acknowledging the challenges they face. She calls for a shift in focus, moving beyond superficial hashtags like “Listen to Black Women” to deeper, sustained engagement with Black feminist praxes and principles. Chapter 1: A History of Black Women and Technology, or Badges of Oppression and Positions of Strength Steele begins her historical analysis of Black women’s engagement with technology by examining their unique and essential role in the evolution of American technological development. She argues that Black women’s involvement in technology is often erased from mainstream narratives, yet their labor and ingenuity have been central to technological innovations throughout history. Steele critiques the conventional definition of technology that excludes the everyday tools and systems used by Black women, particularly in domestic and labor settings. Steele writes: *“Black women, as purveyors of the home, had to master many forms of technology. However, if the everyday use of the term technology shifts to no longer include their tools, systems of labor, and modes of communication, their labor, bodies, and expertise could be devalued” (Steele 29).* She traces how Black women’s technical expertise, especially during the period of slavery, contributed to self-sustaining systems on plantations, such as canning, sewing, and medical knowledge. By highlighting these contributions, Steele forces us to redefine technology to include the labor and systems that have been fundamental to Black women’s survival, and in doing so, she challenges the erasure of their contributions from both history and contemporary technological discourse.

Chapter 2: Black Feminist Technoculture, or the Virtual Beauty Shop

In this chapter, Steele introduces the virtual beauty shop as a metaphor for Black women’s digital engagement. She argues that digital platforms created by Black women mirror the physical beauty shop’s historical role as a communal space for solidarity, knowledge-sharing, and empowerment. Steele draws on the work of scholars such as Patricia Hill Collins and Joan Morgan to explore how Black women’s engagement with technology is not simply a response to white patriarchal systems but an active creation of autonomous spaces. Steele draws from the historical significance of Black hair care practices as a starting point, emphasizing how Black women’s skill in hair care and beauty practices serves as an example of their technical prowess. She cites the success of Madam C. J. Walker, the first Black female millionaire, who created a line of hair care products for Black women, as an example of Black women’s ability to innovate and lead within their communities. By connecting these historical practices with contemporary digital engagement, Steele frames the virtual beauty shop as an ongoing site of empowerment, where Black women continue to assert their cultural agency. She writes: *“Technology, like feminism, cannot be studied as a product of whiteness. Like Black feminism, the beauty shop is a product of the imagination and labor of Black women” (Steele 52).* Through this metaphor, Steele not only highlights the importance of recognizing Black women as creators of digital spaces but also critiques the mainstream feminist movement for failing to acknowledge Black women’s contributions.

Chapter 3: Principles for a Digital Black Feminism, or Blogging While Black

In Chapter Three, Steele explores how the blogosphere has become a crucial space for the development of Black feminist thought in the digital age. She identifies five foundational principles that define digital Black feminism, including the prioritization of agency, the right to self-identify, and the creation of gender nonbinary spaces. Steele emphasizes the importance of individual empowerment in challenging exclusionary and oppressive narratives that have historically marginalized Black women. Through self-identification, Steele illustrates how Black feminists use the digital space to reclaim their identity and resist being categorized by external forces. She also discusses the significance of inclusive discourse in the blogosphere, where Black feminists challenge restrictive gender binaries and foster a more inclusive vision of Black feminism. Steele stresses the importance of alliances, especially in a digital world where individuals from diverse backgrounds collaborate for a collective cause. She also examines the complex dynamics of these relationships and the necessity for Black feminists to balance personal freedom with collective responsibility. In this chapter, Steele argues that the digital space provides a platform for Black feminists to shape new modes of thought and action that challenge patriarchal and racial systems.

Chapter 4: Digital Black Feminist Praxis, or Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing

In this chapter, Steele meticulously examines the praxis of Black feminist thinkers, establishing a thoughtful dialogue between historical figures like Ida B. Wells-Barnett, Zora Neale Hurston, and Anna Julia Cooper, and contemporary digital Black feminists such as Luvvie Ajayi, Jamilah Lemieux, and Feminista Jones. Steele's analysis draws from archival materials and a curated digital collection, offering insights into how these thinkers navigate technology and reshape their discourse in response to technological advancements. She explores three critical forms of Black feminist praxis—capturing, publishing, and threading—tracing their roots in centuries-old cultural practices and demonstrating their evolution in the digital realm. The chapter underscores the transformative power of technology in Black feminist thought, particularly in typing. Steele challenges historical perceptions that relegated typing to a profession for Black women, emphasizing the agency embedded in typing, especially in the digital age. She highlights the role of technology, notably the typing software with a black woman teacher, Mavis Beacon, in providing Black women with a means to express their thoughts online. Steele notes, *"There is agency in typing an essay filled with your own thoughts. To be able to share those thoughts online was a gift provided by Mavis Beacon, at least in part" (Steele 96).* This insight reflects the chapter's exploration of the shifting dynamics of technology, from typewriters to digital platforms, and how these changes influence the production of Black feminist thought. Steele adopts a relational approach, emphasizing the dynamic connection between authors and their tools rather than delving into specific platform affordances. The chapter evaluates the intricate relationship between Black feminist thinkers and their technologies, uncovering how these women navigate societal expectations, reclaim their agency, and control their narratives in public and private spheres. Steele's examination of Black feminist praxis is a crucial lens for understanding the enduring and transformative nature of Black feminist thought in the digital era.

Chapter 5: Digital Black Feminism as a Product, or "It's Funny How Money Change a Situation"

In the final chapter, Steele explores the evolution of Black feminism in the digital age, tracing its journey from foundational principles to a commodified entity shaped by branding and digital consumer culture. Using the metaphor of the beauty shop, the chapter critically examines Black feminism as a business model and delves into the implications of this transformation. Steele investigates digital Black feminism as a product, encompassing branding, content creation, and audience engagement on social media. The narrative unfolds by contextualizing the evolution of Black feminism alongside its growing audience, drawing parallels with the mainstream trajectory of hip-hop feminism. Steele emphasizes the transformative impact of hip-hop culture on feminism and its subsequent commodification, aligning with the experiences of digital Black feminists. Drawing parallels with the mainstream trajectory of hip-hop feminism, "Hip-hop culture was transformative for how many developed and began their relationship with feminism. Then they watched as hip-hop became a commodity, bought and sold by those outside the community" (Steele 134). This transformation becomes evident as digital Black feminists embrace digital culture, witnessing the conversion of pivotal aspects like self-care, intersectionality, and Black oral traditions into marketable products. The commodification process raises cautions “In this way, concepts like intersectionality lose much of their rich legacy when they go viral” (Steele 135), but Steele acknowledges that digital Black feminists, like Kimberly Nicole Foster, adeptly navigate the digital space and distribute Black feminist thought without losing substance (Steele 137). The chapter further examines the pivotal role of "Signifying" as a discursive tool for identity negotiation and empowerment amid external classifications. Steele dissects the intersection of identity, branding, and the digital environment, shedding light on how Black feminists strategically navigate online spaces, exemplified by instances like "Shea Butter Twitter" vs. "Ashy Twitter." The chapter underscores the strategic use of branding for self-empowerment and potential revenue streams. Additionally, "Prototyping" emerges as a metaphor, illustrating how digital Black feminists strategically shape their online presence, using others as commodified and consumable objects, “Prototyping signals how digitality changes Black feminist thought in both useful and problematic ways” (Steele 146). Despite challenges posed by the digital marketplace, Steele highlights the resilience of Black feminists refusing to dichotomize branding and revolution. Drawing from Bell Hooks's concept of "eating the other," Steele underscores potential harm when commodifying culture (Steele 140). Throughout, she raises concerns about the long-term implications of the relationship between digital Black feminists and digital culture, particularly as core elements of Black feminism transform into marketable products. The chapter offers a nuanced exploration of the consequences when capitalism intersects with a tool conceived for liberation.

Conclusion

As a reviewer, I find Steele's work to be a valuable contribution to both Black feminist scholarship and digital studies. This book gave me the space to understand a very personal subject better. My Black feminism was born of the "Virtual Beauty Shop" influencers like Kimberly Nicole Foster from "For Harriet" and think pieces by black feminists on Shea-Butter Twitter. The meticulous attention to historical detail and a critical examination of digital platforms create an informative and transformative narrative. The book succeeds in disrupting traditional notions of technology and feminism, calling for reevaluating who shapes the discourse in digital spaces. I find the book similar to the concept of Afrofuturism as explained by Alondra Nelson, "Afrofuturism” describes visions of the future—including science, technology and its cultures in the laboratory, in social theory, and in aesthetics—through the experience and perspective of African diasporic communities" (Nelson 2002). Scholars like C. Brandon Ogbunu explain that Afrofuturism seeks to reimagine the future by putting the Black diaspora community at the center (Ogbunu 2021). Steele separates her work by zeroing in on the contributions of black feminists to this. While celebrating the achievements of digital Black feminists, Steele also raises essential cautions about the commodification of Black feminism and its potential consequences. This prompts readers to consider the long-term implications of the relationship between technology, capitalism, and liberation. In conclusion, Digital Black Feminism is an essential text that encourages scholars, researchers, and the broader public to recognize the centrality of Black women in shaping the digital landscape. Steele's work exemplifies the evolving nature of Black feminist thought, demonstrating its resilience and adaptability in the face of technological advancements. As we reflect on this transformative journey, the book invites us to envision a future where digital Black feminism continues to be a driving force in the ongoing pursuit of liberation.

Works Cited:

Catherine Knight Steele. Digital Black Feminism. NYU Press, 2021
Ogbunu, Brandon. "Brandon Ogbunu on Afrofuturism as a Tech Framework." Centre for International Governance Innovation, [https://www.cigionline.org/big-tech/brandon-ogbunu-on-afrofuturism-as-a-tech-framework/].
Ogbunu, Brandon. "How Afrofuturism Can Help the World Mend." Wired, [https://www.wired.com/story/how-afrofuturism-can-help-the-world-mend/].
Nelson, Alondra, editor. Afrofuturism: A Special Issue of Social Text (Volume 20). Paperback, 3 June 2002.