What has Feminism got to do with race?

True feminism, which seeks to gain social, economic and political equality for the sexes, has the power to transform society. The feminist movement aims to bring about change in issues that affect women. Some of these might include reproductive rights, equal pay, curtailing sexual harassment and violence. Feminism identifies men as the enemy and the sole perpetrator of all these injustices. At the onset of the feminist movement a woman’s role in the family was viewed as being oppressive. A woman was a slave to her husband as she was expected to fulfill specific gender roles. This view began to cause divisions in the movement. The premise that feminist ideology was going to benefit all women became a topic of contention.

A family to people of color is a very important structure. In many black communities the nuclear family unit is rarely intact and when it is present if allows for better functionality, stability and legitimacy. Feminism is a movement for the privileged. At its roots it has ignored the experiences of anyone who is not white, cis or straight. It ignores race and class. It is very clear in our society that the way white women experience misogyny is not similar to all women.

Being white and a woman affords unimaginable privileges that are not easily accessible by other women. Feminism only aims to resolve inequalities between men and women and ignores intersectionality completely. If Feminism is to consider the plight of all women, race is a determining factor.

In all societies a hierarchy exists and at the very base of that structure are women of color. The issues feminism intends to resolve affect more women of color than any other group of women.

Issues of reproductive rights and sexual violence affect women of color more prevalent.

Police brutality is a rising feminist issue, but it is women of color who have husbands, brothers and sons experiencing this genocide.

What the feminist movement must grapple with is accepting that within the movement an unequal hierarchy exists. These challenges have to be addressed first before it can legitimize itself to fight for the equality of all women.