Her Campus Albany — Since it’s Women History Month, this article is going to quickly cover a topic that I feel many don’t pay attention to: INTERSECTIONALITY.
Yes white feminists, get cultured and realize your white feminist agenda is not it.
I’m tired of people saying they’re a “feminist” but do not include ALL those that are marginalized just for breathing. What amazes me more is that it doesn’t just come from actual Caucasians, but it exists in the marginalized groups as well. There’s definitely a social psychological explanation for this, but let’s not get too technical here.
I have personally been around many minorities and many do have a very white feminist mindset which is really sad, to be honest.
Let’s compare white feminism and intersectional feminism by definition:
White feminism is an epithet used to describe feminist theories that focus on the struggles of white women without addressing distinct forms of oppression faced by ethnic minority women and women lacking other privileges.
VS
Intersectional feminism is the view that women experience oppression in varying configurations and in varying degrees of intensity. Cultural patterns of oppression are not only interrelated, but are bound together and influenced by the intersectional systems of society. Examples of this include race, gender, class, ability, and ethnicity.
White feminism was earlier seen around the first wave of feminism from the 19th to early 20th century most specifically around the Western world. When women fought for their rights then, it was just for the benefit of white women and never really for the minorities. The minorities then started to speak up and by the early 1990s, intersectionality was introduced and flourished…and it’s still flourishing today!
To summarize it: when you say feminism, you better include the minorities from society. It's not just people of color we're talking about. We're talking about people who's voices are being silenced. You can't advocate for just women when you don't support everyone else.
You might not see it as such but think about this: it’s 2019. Grow up and realize that feminism = INTERSECTIONALITY. All of us need to stick together and fight for our rights.
To the white feminists out there, just don’t call yourself a feminist if you’re not going to support the marginalized.
Happy Women History Month everyone! Celebrate the fact that so many women have contributed and impacted our world for so many years and more in the coming future (aka: us!).
This piece has been edited and updated on 3/21/20.
For original article at Her Campus Albany: https://www.hercampus.com/school/albany/its-not-feminism-without-intersectionality
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