Is Your Feminism White?
Many of us first learn about feminism as a U.S. movement started by the white suffragettes in the 19th century. However, their racism and oppressive tactics often go unacknowledged. White suffragettes were fighting for equal power with white men; they wanted to take the reins of oppression themselves and saw issues of race and sex as separate. Their Black women contemporaries saw that sexism was interrelated to the racism they faced themselves, and Sojourner Truth noted that their struggle was intersectional in her speech Ain’t I a Woman:
That man over there says that women need to be helped into carriages, and lifted over ditches, and to have the best place everywhere. Nobody ever helps me into carriages, or over mud-puddles, or gives me any best place! And ain't I a woman? Look at me! Look at my arm! I have ploughed and planted, and gathered into barns, and no man could head me! And ain't I a woman? I could work as much and eat as much as a man - when I could get it - and bear the lash as well! And ain't I a woman? I have borne thirteen children, and seen most all sold off to slavery, and when I cried out with my mother's grief, none but Jesus heard me! And ain't I a woman?
Today, we define white feminism as feminism that centers white women. White feminism fails to address oppressive systems that affect multiply marginalized women and how white women are complicit in racism. We see this play out in media and politics in the United States. Women elected to office perpetuate an imperialist agenda, capitalism is further ingrained into our daily lives through hashtags such as #GirlBoss, and the voices of trans women and women of color are continuously silenced or policed.
Under a veil of fighting for all women’s rights, white feminism seeks to elevate white women's experiences as a roadmap to equality while simultaneously ignoring and even perpetuating unjust treatment of women with oppressed identities. Like other groups with a single marginalized identity, the objective of white feminists is not to dismantle systems of oppression such as patriarchy and capitalism but rather to succeed within them.
Kimberlé Crenshaw coined the term “intersectionality” to describe how race, sexuality, and class overlap to create distinct experiences for Black, Indigenous, and other women of color. Gender inequality cannot be separated from these other identities because some people face repercussions from more than just one system of oppression.
As opposed to white feminism, intersectional feminism centers on the experiences of multiply marginalized women as a collective, acknowledging that white women and marginalized women hold different hierarchical positions in society. As Audre Lorde wrote:
Some problems we share as women, some we do not. You fear your children will grow up to join the patriarchy and testify against you, we fear our children will be dragged from a car and shot down in the street, and you will turn your backs upon the reasons they are dying.
Here are some ways we can move towards intersectional feminism:
Stepping aside so marginalized women can speak their truth. Tone policing inhibits marginalized women by centering white women and their comfort. Some truths will be uncomfortable, but marginalized women are not responsible for others’ feelings.
Doing our homework. Instead of leaning on marginalized women in our spheres to educate us, we can learn about intersectional issues ourselves. One simple way is by following marginalized women’s platforms on social media and listening to their stories and perspectives.
Processing our trauma. When we have endured trauma of any kind, it can be difficult to listen to marginalized women and the anger they can rightfully feel. When we take the time to heal ourselves, we can show up for our community, ready to listen without making it about ourselves.
Taking responsibility for the ways we benefit from white supremacy. Knowledge of oppressive systems does not negate our complicity in them — we must actively fight against them.
How are you working towards dismantling white feminism? Let us know in the comments below!