Many off-shoots of post-70s feminism such as ‘riot grrl’ have been largely the making of white feminists’ work. Riot Grrl has been a deep influence over many feminist, DIY zines around the world. My question is, where do young black girls who are feminists fit into the new sub-cultures emerging from the movement?
There is no question that black girls and white girls need to work together in order to make considerable gains for the female gender. However, we cannot forget that race and ethnicity are equally important issues that cannot be ignored or dealt with just one article in a feminist journal. There needs to be a collective movement, of which the internet is providing. There are numerous black female empowerment sites and blogs which are opening up the platform for debate.
I would like to know why black feminist sub-cultures that exist outside the Internet are still underground and largely unheard of. I was ecstatic when I heard of that book, Black British Feminism, as I mentioned in a previous post because I began to feel like things were beginning to open up. Are many of them mainly underground or unheard of because black women are not interested in feminism or is because there is no general consensus?
The internet sites and blogs are fantastic tools but what happened to the days of meetings and debate forums? Are all black girls supposed to be Amazonian feminists by being strong all the time? Or should black girls worldwide opt out of feminism since it was not ”created” by us? Furthermore, should it be ”African female empowerment” or black female empowerment? Which label do you like the most? Does the term black imply lack of nationalism or will it serve to unify more women?
Do we need a different tactic? Empowerment of young black girls is extremely important in today’s day and age. Relations between black men and women are fraught and tense for the most with continual verbal sparrings on topics like inter-racial dating and gender roles. If a black woman is empowered and believes in her strength and no longer is desperate to seek validation from a man, is that the way forward to healing the rifts between black men and women.
This empowerment can be done through mentoring and providing support to young black girls who want it. I hope to at least give this a shot when I get back to Bristol by donating free magazines and books to Afro-Caribbean community centres. Who knows? Maybe by giving we can see change in the decades to come.
I took some time to post a bit about womanism, and I why choose to be called such; so that their isn’t any confusion about what we are discussing:
According to Alice Walker:
“Womanism brings a racialized and often class-located experience to the gendered experience suggested by feminism. It also reflects a link with history that includes African cultural heritage, enslavement, women’s culture, and a kinship with other women, especially women of color. As Walker also told the Times, “Feminism (all colors) definitely teaches women they are capable, one reason for its universal appeal. In addition to this, womanist (i.e. black feminist) tradition assumes, because of our experiences during slavery, that black women are capable.” Her original definition made clear that a womanist included any, “feminist of color… Also: A woman who loves other women, sexually and/or non-sexually. Appreciates and prefers women’s culture, women’s emotional flexibility (values tears as natural counterbalance of laughter), and women’s strength. Sometimes loves individual men, sexually and/or non-sexually. Committed to survival and wholeness of entire people, male and female. Not a separatist, except periodically, for health. Traditionally universalist… Loves music. Loves dance. Loves the moon. Loves the Spirit. Loves love and food and roundness. Loves struggle. Loves the Folk. Loves herself. Regardless.”
Peace.
Your blog is fantastic.
I meant to comment on this entry awhile ago.
Have any of you read ‘ Black Macho and the Myth of the Superwoman’ by Michelle Wallace? She focuses heavily on the need for the ’strong black woman’ archetype to be seen realistically for what it is, and focuses on a great deal of under-reported realities in African American history.
I’d have to recommend it.
As far as the mainstream ignoring Black subculture, I think we can strengthen the subculture, organize, network and generate grassroots momentum. It would be alot of work but overtime it would have a good deal of strength.
I’m confident that pooling our resources and creating ‘zines, etc that are distributed through the net and in our communities can create an underground that attracts a following. Once strong enough sending out official press releases and holding events are ways to access the mainstream for even mild coverage, if it’s still truly desired.
I’m a grassroots chic through and through and would love to collaborate on something or at least post articles that have the power to introduce necessary subjects. There may be folks who are interested in creating a documentary as well, which could prove helpful.
I just think it’s up to the ‘common folk’ to organize their own thing because the mainstream doesn’t seem to care at all, unless there’s a trend, and even then… I wonder how much more can actually be done with so many individuals who have the means to launch major campaigns.
I’m so happy to see that this discussion is still going
So much info to digest and share!
“my question to you ann is, do you think that black girls should embrace feminism in its’ form today or should we have our own label for the movement?’
Aulelia, I think that black women, both young and those up in age, should learn the history of black feminism and the major impact it has had on this planet. Feminism of today has been literally gutted and made into a joke of its former self. Feminism of today as practiced by white women does not take into accountthe much needed all-inclusiveness that feminism of black women has to teach the world.
Black women already have their own feminism if they would just learn of it. Today’s so-called ‘feminism’ does not take into account the many voices and experiences of WOC—Asian, Native American, Latina, Arabic—and especially black women of the continent of Africa.
Thnaks, but, no thanks, to how feminism is practiced by so-called white feminists.
I’ll take the feminism of Sojourner, Anna, Maria, Jarena, bell, Michelle, Alice, Toni and the many numerous black women who had (and still have) so much to say to rid this world of the evils of racism, sexism, classism and white male patriarchy.
More white women listening to black women and other WOC and less listening to their cacaphony of noise that gets nothing done, would be a welcome relief.
Talking loud and saying nothing is what ‘white feminism’ has done.
More shutting up, and less ‘leading’ and more listening is what white women should do.
That is how one learns how to be a feminist.
And giving the stage to black women and other WOC would be just the place to start.
Peace.
ann and rhonda — you are both the truth lol. You have shed some interesting and though-provoking points.
ann — those incredible women you listed as proponents of (black) feminism can definitely make me state a retraction. what loads of work they did! however, i still think that their movement was different to the feminist movement we know today. perhaps it was far greater because they stood up for what they believed in during a time where they were looked down upon for being beautiful shades of black. my question to you ann is, do you think that black girls should embrace feminism in its’ form today or should we have our own label for the movement?
i agree with you too that it is destroying us. the issue is now though is certain black men love that stereotype. they love using it against black women with the good old ”you don’t need us” rubbish, like black women are too tough. i wholly agree with you that we are just as vulnerable but no one gives a fuck about us these days because all they care about is image. everyone in this world that lives in the mainstream seems obsessed with image and we are now suffering cos that image. people like oprah do help because she is multi-faceted but films like tyler perry’s madea rubbish do not.
i hope black girls feel empowered to do something with their lives that is not based around black men. sure, it is great to be in love with a man but that should not define us. that is why black female celebrities need to step their game up and become role models!!
rhonda said “because we allowed it to turn into the black male liberation by falsely assuming that once they were free we would be too” — your statement there is on POINT. wow, such a good observation. i do also think black girls to an extent have been brainwashed to think that black men have it harder. we both have it hard but let’s be frank, black women have the fact that their gender is not on their side.
rhonda said “check out the movements and see how many of these “feminists” and black male nationalists were in bed with each other.” — isn’t this true about some of the male black panther members?
rhonda said “many black feminist are still saddled with the burden of critiquing without attacking the black man.” — exactly!! we are always made to feel like we are attacking and attacking.
thanks 4 all these great insights.
also wanted to add to clarify, the problem with black women uniting with other groups is that historically black women have been trained and socialized to value everyone more than tehmselves and made to feel guilty for focusing on themselves even positively. this indoctrination makes working with other groups troublesome especially if the other group is intent on defining the movement a la black men and the community. Black women were just as much vital to the black community but when racism and racial crimes and discrimination come up we are still asumed not to suffer despite all the evidence to the contrary. because we allowed it to turn into the black male liberation by falsely assuming that once they were free we would be too.
we can’t bank our hopes on other’s freedom. we have to work to free ourselves. all the time and effort black women put into others if it had been harnessed for our own benefit many of the struggles we faced would be a nonissue.
lol ann you are the truth.
don’t get it twisted. many black men are anti-black women being feminist not anti feminist. it is no coincidence that many white female feminist are lesbians or in interracial relationships with some of the anti black feminist/female black men.
many of the black men that spit in the face of black feminism have no problem with white feminism. see the black naitonalist and their dalliances with white feminists. check your college campus white feminist even the extreme ones aren’t an unusual sight on the arms of anit black female men
the reason white feminism critiques white men as most white women grow up around white males and with white male relatives. black feminism critiques black men in regards to their treatment of black women; this is the problem black men have with black feminism.
white feminist and many black men have a common enemy — the white man. they both feel the white man holds them down and can bond over that. add the fact that many of these same feel that black women and white men are allies in keeping them down (ludicrous but an oft mentioned “fact”). as quiet as it’s kept many white women are aware of this and use it to their advantage. many are aware of their white skin privilege although they will argue against the idea. it’s the way they managed to weasel their way into to many civil rights organizations and take the front line while many of those same organization pushed black women to brunt work behind the curtain. check out the movements and see how many of these “feminists” and black male nationalists were in bed with each other.
the difference is many black feminist will be lesbians or struggle on alone rather than date outside the race or appear to go against black men. unlike white feminist, many black feminist are still saddled with the burden of critiquing without attacking the black man. when dealing with the fragile ego of many black men this is impossible. it hink female unity is nice but black women need to work out a goal and course for themselves less we be coopted and replaced and erased from the history like in the civil rights, feminist, womanist, anti lynching, abolition, etc. movements of yesteryear.
sorry for rambling
Aulelia, I respectfully disagree with you, but, feminism in the purest, truest sense WAS created by black women, not white women.
Black women were living lives of feminism during slavery, during Reconstruction and during segregation in America. Black women were living relationships of egalitarianism between them and black men, way before white men and white women even knew anything about equal relationships between men and women.
Some of the well-known, and not too well-known black women feminists:
-Sojourner Truth, a black feminist whom many white women are so quick to quote not realizing that her famous “Ain’t I a Woman” speech speaks of how differently white woman were treated over black women, and how this double standard of mistreatment still exists today.
-Harriet Tubman. The first black woman to work with Union troops during the Civil War. She was a spy, a scout and a military leader for the Union, at a time when white women were not even allowed into any branch of the U.S. military. Harriet piloted black troops up the Combahee River in South Carolina, securing freedom for close to 800 enslaved people. After the Civil War, lHarriet lobbied for a nursing home for ex-veteran black soldiers to be built. Harriet was in the vanguard of the human rights struggle.
-Jarena Lee. Practically unheard by many people today, Jarena was the first woman known to petition the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church for authority to preach. Jarena went on to preach throughout the northeastern region of America. Although she often traveled alone, her autobiographical reports constant companionship among black American evangelical women. Because Jarena was an itinerant preacher and because she carried out her ministry with and among other ’sisters in Christ’, she was a pathfinder for future preaching women, particularly women of the AME Church. The constant and successful preaching efforts of AME women eventually forced the denomination to create gender-specific positions when no organizational authority for women had previously existed.
-Maria Stewart. She was a force to be reckoned with. It is a shame that this lady’s name is not spoken of in the same breath as Sojourner’s. During her speeches she reminded her audience that during ancient times women were honored for their wisdom, prudence, religiosity and achievements. Her speeches were not well-received because of the gender politics in the 19TH Century, afterall, she was the first American-born woman to break the taboo against participating in public dialogues, a taboo held by both black and white communities alike. She also faced stiff opposition from Boston’s conservative black political circles. Maria advocated black self-determination and economic independence from well-meaning whites. She broke new ground in black activism. No black leaders, male or female, had turned to the lecture circuit to present their views, and that is what Maria spent much of her life doing.
And there are many other unsung black women of the feminist movement, past and present:
-Mary Church Terrell
-Anna Julia Cooper
-Louise Thompson Patterson
-C. Delores Nottage Tucker
And that’s to name just a few.
For more information on the history of black feminists, you may go to this link:
http://kathmanduk2.wordpress.com/2007/01/02/the-origins-of-black-feminism
“Are all black girls supposed to be Amazonian feminists by being strong all the time?”
I’d say the myth of the “strong black woman” is killing black women. We are just as vulnerable as any other woman in the world, and it is high time that the black community—and black women— let this body, mind and soul-killing way of thinking die. Trying to do all and be all to everyone is killing black women with high incidences of diabetes, heart attacks, hypertension and strokes. Being a strong black woman never did anything but put many black women 6 feet underground.
“Empowerment of young black girls is extremely important in today’s day and age. Relations between black men and women are fraught and tense for the most with continual verbal sparrings on topics like inter-racial dating and gender roles. If a black woman is empowered and believes in her strength and no longer is desperate to seek validation from a man, is that the way forward to healing the rifts between black men and women.
“This empowerment can be done through mentoring and providing support to young black girls who want it. I hope to at least give this a shot when I get back to Bristol by donating free magazines and books to Afro-Caribbean community centres. Who knows? Maybe by giving we can see change in the decades to come.”
Young black girls need all the help they can get, and I commend you Aulelia for doing what you can to being a part of the solution of giving black girls more self-esteem.
And on the issue of anti-feminist black men, they are nothing new. True, there are, and have been feminist black men, past and present. But, many black men of today need to learn of black women’s history in this country, when black women stood against lynchers, and white women racists, when black women who stood shoulder-to-shoulder with black men, just as black women of today still continue to do in their solidarity with black men. Black men need to realize without the strength and support of black women there would have been no abolition movement, no fight against slavery, no fight against the Ku Klux Klan, no fight against segregation, no fight for civil rights.
Black men did not get where they are now without the tremendous help from black women.
It would behooove black men to learn their history of black women who worked with black men. It would definately be in black men’s interest to work with black women instead of against them. No other race of women will support black men the way black women have, and for black men to think any other race of women will do so is not only foolish and stupid, it is downright suicidal.
” i think one good way is encouraging young girls to write. encourage them to start blogs and not necessarily all the time post pix of themselves drunk. discuss issues. create forums for themselves in weekly discussion groups or create their own magazines:whatever they can do to talk and move away from trying to be celebrities, instead be real celebrities and just be true to themselves.’
I’m all for that for black girls.
Write.
Talk.
Speak.
Tell your story.
Everyone has a story to tell.
And all of us can learn from each other.
Peace.
goodnis — thank you! i, like you, wholly agree that we need to start supporting these young girls to be all that they can be. life is not about flashing one’s knickers like lindsay lohan! i also agree with you on the idea that people only emulate what they see. i think if young girls are exposed to positive energy, they too will want to recreate that for other people.
the question is…how do we do that? i think one good way is encouraging young girls to write. encourage them to start blogs and not necessarily all the time post pix of themselves drunk. discuss issues. create forums for themselves in weekly discussion groups or create their own magazines:whatever they can do to talk and move away from trying to be celebrities, instead be real celebrities and just be true to themselves.
I was so glad to stumble across this blog after finding a few disturbing pics of some 15-16 year old girls I know on Myspace. The question of whether a different tactic is needed in addressing the many issues that face young black women is very valid! No matter the number of role models that may exist, young girls are only going to emulate what they see {Lil Kim, Beyonce, Remy Ma, etc. etc.} which brings me to the question I always ask myself. . . What can I {the normal everyday person in general} do to support and positively influence these young girls whilst competing with sexually exploited, yet glorified images of what a women should look like??
It was good to also read that there are some underground internet sites dedicated to the cause. . . apparently yours included
Keep up the good work!
Orville, you broke it down so well! You have raised so many good points in your comment!! Especially about Naomi Wolf. She is a very polarising public figure: whilst I think she helps to a certain degree, she does normally talk from one standpoint only.
Oprah is a puzzling character: I think she is fantastic yet her show does leave you wondering: why does she ignore other issues? Can’t she just stop having that Nate home improvement guy on the show and discuss real issues? Hmmmm…
I think in Britain, black feminism definitely has been overlooked by the mainstream. mainstream feminism gets mentions in press, which is good, but completely overlooks black or asian feminism. does that mean we are not good enough or they just are not listening to our screams?
these black men who are anti-feminist are speaking as men of the establishment and as far as i am concerned, those anti-wome men can fuck off. they need to support the women’s movement. after all, without women, where would they be? i’m not saying women are superior but i am just tired of the same old misogynistic black men running around. i want the clear-minded and open black men to have their platform.
I took a women’s studies class during my undergraduate days at university and this is my own theory. But remember there is a stereotype of the “strong” black woman that exists as well. I also believe the black community is a part of the problem. I think black men lets be honest some black men don’t really like feminism. Some black men think feminism is a tool of divide and conquer the race. I know this sounds out there but this is from what I have heard and read. I believe black feminism exists and it should exist.
I know this will sound harsh but I am not sure white women “really” want to work with black women? And maybe that’s why some black feminist groups are underground because they don’t “trust” white women. And also because they know they have to help themselves. And maybe some black feminists feel due to the racism they have experienced from the mainstream feminist movement they have to distance themselves from the white women and do their own thing fighting for black women rights. Lets face it, some white feminists I believe are really about themselves. Just my opinion. From reading Naomi Wolf’s work I mean I really don’t like it when she says she speaks for “women” she needs to put the word “white prrvileged and upper class” also and be honest with her work. Wolf’s work is for a specific audience. I think some white feminists just like to use black women when they feel necessary to advance their own causes. From what I have read from Audre Lorde “Sister Outsider” and other books some white feminists love to talk about gender but always ignore race and class.
I think there are indeed black women that believe in some feminist principles but don’t trust white women. I can’t be more blunt then that. Because as the Combahee River Collective black women cannot divorce themselves from their race and gender. Oprah is a very famous feminist perhaps the most famous black feminist in the world yet why doesn’t she have black feminists on her program or on her TV show? Oprah will have Naomi Wolf on her show but not bell hooks? I don’t get that one. I think its due to the fact the theories and work of some black feminists are very political and would probably piss off the white feminists. I cannot be more blunt then that. I think there is a lot of racism in mainstream feminism. Some so called “feminist” mainstream magazines complain about women being marginalized due to gender but they will do the exact same thing to women of colour. And we hardly hear about that.