Thursday, May 12, 2016

Feminist or white feminist

In her acceptance speech at the Oscars Patricia Arquette made a impassioned plea for civil rights and equality for woman.
"It’s time for all the women in America and all the men that love women, and all the gay people, and all the people of color that we’ve all fought for to fight for us now"
She got in a little trouble for her speech with the internet being the way it is and people listening even closer. They claimed she was only advocating for white woman, later she clarified that's not what she meant. Looking back on the history of feminism in this country her words are exactly what she meant and in line with American feminism. A quote attributed to Susan B Anthony is:
"I will cut off this right arm of mine before I will ask for the ballot for the Negro and not for the woman"
Not to say Anthony wasn't a friend of the negro she was a anti slave voice even at the age of 17 and was a agent for the American Anti-Slavery Society. The American feminist movement has by and large been a movement for white women by white women. The black feminist has battled on two fronts, the specter of racism and sexism while white feminist have only battled sexism.

Look at any picture of feminist parades and you will mostly see black woman if present in the back.
Understandably people of color have had to worry about racism first and were and still seen as a monolithic group but each "minority group" is made up of men and women. The next time a feminist talks of women ponder whether they mean all women or just white woman