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Black Feminism

There’s feminism. And then there’s black feminism. Being a woman in a male dominated world is hard enough. Being a woman while being black – now that is something else. The intersectionality that is being a black feminine woman in a male dominated world, holds the belief that black women are doubly disadvantaged by both gender and race. Many black academics, feminist scholars and activist argue that African American women face social, economic and political discrimination in proportional amounts compared to their nonblack counterparts. The term intersectionality was coined by scholar Kimberle Crenshaw in 1989. She argued that each concept being black and being a woman, can not be understood in its entirety, but should be considered as an intersecting identity that reinforces the other.

This concept was first employed to understand and make sense of how white supremacy and patriarchy interacted to shape the experiences of black women across the United States. Black activist created organizations such as the National Association of Coloured women and the National Council of Negro women. The black feminist movement rose to prominence in the 1960’s during the Civil rights movement which largely excluded women from leadership roles. On the other hand the mainstream feminist movement at that time primarily focused on issues that mainly affected middle class white women. Left with no space to focus on the issues affecting black women, black activist created these feminist groups to address black women’s roles in black nationalism, gay liberation, second wave feminism and so forth.

The main belief behind black feminism as a whole, is that black women are disadvantaged in their position within power structures of societies in different ways than white women. We are at a disadvantage from social, economic and political aspect. Socially, we lack inadequate healthcare. According to the CDC, black women are three to four more times likely to die from pregnancy related causes than white women. Its believed that most of these are caused by inadequate care received in the hospital during actual labor, and Dr. langar from the American heart association stated a significant portion of the deaths that occur could’ve been prevented. She declared it a public health and human rights emergency. Equal education is another issue modern day black feminist advocate for. It is no secret that the era of segregation left a big gap in education opportunities between black and white students.

Additionally black women still face a lot of discrimination for our natural features, in and outside of the black community. To the rest of the world, we are discriminated for having big lips, and kinky hair-terms like nappy are used to degrade us, while big companies profit in millions marketing of the trends associated with black people. Our hair in its natural state is still seen as unprofessional, and our hairstyles are supposedly “ghetto” yet become high fashion when imitated by people outside of our race. Teachers, students, and even news anchors have been expelled and fired in the last couple of years, simply for rocking their hair as it naturally grows out of their scalps. The struggle we face to be socially accepted in our natural skin has caused a divide even in the black community. It has pit lightskin women against dark skin women, it has made silkier tresses out to be good hair and kinky coily curls to be bad hair. This has short term and long term affects on the women who grew up hating themselves because society painted their features us undesirable and ugly. Its only recently that this narrative has started to shift, where black girls are beginning to see images of themselves represented in the media depicted as beautiful.

Another social justice issue black women face is the disproportional violence many have been subjected to. There is a consistent lack of empathy towards black women who become the victims of violent crimes; the outrage expressed by communities against crimes towards black men and white men and white women isn’t extended to black women. We are instead pushed to the back, like an afterthought. It was true for Breonna Taylors who didn’t receive justice for her murder, and it was also true for Megan the stallion when she was shot by Tory Lanez yet half of the internet victim blamed her.

The goals I had for advocating this topic was to bring awareness to the many issues face by black women that go unheard. By promoting my content in the last 9 weeks through my social media accounts was to encourage more public support for better equal education, to lessen discrimination amongst black patients in healthcare, and especially lower pregnancy related deaths, wider acceptance of natural hair in the work force and last but not least to acknowledge the violence that happens to black women and fight against victim blaming and stereotypes.

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The Intersectionality that is being black, and being a woman.

As the story made headlines, many celebrities and fans poured out support for the young rapper, and yet many more mocked her with a clear lack of sympathy. They victim blamed her and attempted to justify Tory’s actions by using her curvy build, sexually free persona music, and height (5’10) compared to a (5’3) Tory Lanez. I was shocked by the initial response of the media, as they ridiculed her, turning her grief into memes and further prolonging her trauma. This was further worsened when Tory Lanez released a new album “Daystar '' in which he addressed the allegations against him-which he denied. The very fact that he could deny the incident with all the evidence so clear against him, especially when Megan’s lawyer released that the shells matched those found in Tory’s gun. Further yet, what was even more astonishing was the fact that many of his fans who listened to this album, commented how nice the songs were- and made slanderous remarks about Megan in the comment section under Lanez Instagram-against support for Meg. This clearly shows me as a black woman, that the interpersonal violence and emotional and physical pain we endure remain invisible to the public eye.  Social Media turned this young woman’s shooting into a joke, and source of amusement. In the same situation, had it been another woman- as matter of fact, had it been Kylie Jenner who was also present in the car that night; the public would have been far more sympathetic. Black women deserve the same energy, respect and protection. We will gain neither until we are recognized as human beings with valid emotions, and people stand up for and with us. This is not to say that only black women are victimized in this way, or even that only black women have faced violence- but rather to point out that compared to our non-black counterparts, in navigating the violence against us; we are also simultaneously fighting against multiple institutions of oppression that intersect.

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Tory Lanez Denys shooting Meg..then makes a diss track about the whole incident?

Black women have endured endless pain at the hands of society. Since the time our ancestors were brought to this land, for years we have been the victim of attacks that framed us masculine due to our stature and physiques, and undermined our beauty due to our skin, natural hair and natural facial features. The emotional, physical and psychological plight of our ancestors is now the butt of internet memes and jokes. As was the case for Megan Pete, more popularly known as Singer/rapper Megan Thee Stallion. The traumatic events that occurred to her once again proved what Malcom X said back in 1962, black women are indeed the most disrespected and neglected people in America.According to several news outlets, the night of July 12th, Megan, a friend of hers, kylie Jenner and Tory lanez were hanging out in a car together when the incident took place. Megan and Tory got into an intense argument at the crime of the scene, and when Megan and her friend attempted to exit the car, a pissed off Tory fired shots hitting Megan in the feet. Cops were called to the scene, and released footage clearly showed a distressed Megan stumbling as she got out of the car to comply with police orders. She suffered from the wounds, had to get surgery and even required a hospital stay. On her social media accounts, the rapper streamed live to talk about the traumatic shooting and addressed that initially, she didn’t tell police that there was a gun involved, saying, “I’m scared. All this (expletive) going on with the police … I didn’t want to die. I didn’t want the police to shoot me because there’s a (person) with a gun in the car with me,” and that “He shot me and I still tried to protect him because the police be killing us.” (The San Diego Union Tribune). While she rushed to protect herself and Tory her perpetrator from a possible violent outcome from police involvement, Tory himself did not think twice about denying the shooting on his social media.

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Are we # AN AFTERTHOUGHT?

The most unprotected,disrespected and neglected person in America is the black woman (Malcom X). We disproportionately face violence in our communities, at school and even on the job. There is a consistent lack of empathy towards black women who become the victims of violent crimes; the outrage expressed by communities against crimes towards black men and white men and white women isn’t extended to black women. We are instead pushed to the back, like an afterthought. According to Susan Green, data shows that more than four in ten black women experience physical violence from an intimate partner in their lifetime. We face the highest rates of intimate partner violence, rape and homicide. We are unprotected by society and left to fend and defend ourselves. That same study found that black women also experience much higher rates of psychological abuse (humiliation, coercive control and insults than other women do. Sexual violence against black women is also significantly higher –over twenty percent are raped in their lifetimes. Last but not least, black women face a significantly higher risk of being killed at the hands of a man.in 2015, a violence policy center study found that black women were two and a half times more likely to be murdered than their white counterparts- and in those cases more than nine in ten of victims knew their killers. (Susan Green). This pattern of violence begins at an early age. Black girls in the education system experience the effect of racial profiling right from the earliest stages of school. They are more likely to be expelled or suspended than their peers, and punished for dress code violations, defiance and talking back to teachers. Their administrators and teachers are also more likely to perceive them as loud and disruptive. The foundation of discipline experienced in school by many young black girls at the hands of their teachers and administrators can have a big impact on their involvement with the criminal justice system.

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Press Release

Press Release A Virtual Discussion On Policing Data, and Transparency-

October 1stAn awesome group of panelist put together by the board of UCFTP otherwise known as cops off campus on twitter, run by an assembly on California’s university campus is hosting a viirtual discussion on October 1st. This panel will feature Alicia Hurtado, Carenotcops, Damon Jones, Harris School of Public policy , Invisible Institute Trina Reynolds-Tyler, MAira Khwaja and will be moderated by the University of Chicago department of Sociology. On Thursday, October 1st- this discussion will be centered on the ongoing efforts to defund Uchicago police. There will also be talk about police field stop & data, as well sharing ongoing efforts to hold police accountable. The overarching themes will be centered around community,safety, and information about the university of Chicago police department. Cops of Campus is an organization that promotes awareness about policing in America’s universities. They host a number of events year round teaching about diversity issues, support in college communities and more.This event can be streamed live at 6pm central time.. and you can register online here at this link. Bitly.com/UPDDATA

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RBG

It is with great sadness that we mourn the passing of Ruth Bader Ginsburg popularly known S RBG. She was a former Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States and known for her work in the feminist movement. Well be discussing her work later-stay tuned in! Here are five of 10 fun facts about this marvelous character, you can find the rest here. https://www.usnews.com/news/national/articles/2007/10/01/10-things-you-didnt-know-about-ruth-bader-ginsburg

1. RUTH JOAN BADER WAS born on March 15, 1933, in Brooklyn, N.Y. The second child of Nathan and Celia (their first daughter, Marilyn, died of meningitis when Ruth was young), the Baders lived in the Flatbush neighborhood. Her father sold furs, then later was a haberdasher. In school, Ruth was a baton twirler, cello player in the orchestra, and member of both the pep squad and the honor society.

2. Ruth's mother took her on frequent trips to the library and instilled in her a devotion to learning. Celia battled cervical cancer while Ruth was in high school, dying the day before Ruth's graduation ceremony. During her remarks upon nomination to the Supreme Court, Ruth spoke of her mother as "the bravest and strongest person I have known, who was taken from me much too soon. I pray that I may be all that she would have been had she lived in an age when women could aspire and achieve, and daughters are cherished as much as sons."

3.Ruth met her husband, Martin David Ginsburg, while attending Cornell University. She was an excellent student, among the top women in her class. She and Martin married the year she graduated, 1954. The couple's law school plans were put on hold when Martin was drafted into the Army. They spent two years at Fort Sill in Oklahoma, where they had their daughter, Jane.

4. Next, they both returned to study at Harvard Law School, where Ruth was on the Harvard Law Review. During this time, Martin was diagnosed with testicular cancer, undergoing surgery and radiation. While taking care of her ill husband and young daughter as well as maintaining her own studies, Ruth helped keep her husband up to speed in his classes and typed his papers from his dictation. Martin fully recovered and upon graduation got a job in New York City. The family moved, and Ruth transferred to Columbia for her last year of law school. Earning high honors again, she was on the Columbia Law Review and graduated at the top of her class in 1959.

5. After law school, Ginsburg spent time as a law clerk and then worked on a comparative law project studying the Swedish legal system. In 1963, she began teaching at Rutgers University Law School. In 1965, she hid her second pregnancy by wearing oversize clothes to avoid discriminatory employment practices. She gave birth to son James over the summer break and returned to work that fall.

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Talking Points -Infolet

Hey! Welcome to me page, glad to have you stop by. This page is designed, and tailor made for your entertainment, educational and inspirational value. In our community we have fun! Share stories and cater to self-empowering black women all around the world. We serve young queens to show them their worth, to show that feminism has a place in our community and that we all deserve equality. Here we explore the intersectionality that is being a Black. Feminine. Woman. Empowering and uplifting black women everywhere!

Frequently Asked Questions

Ø  What is intersectionality?

Intersectionality is a theoretical framework for understanding how aspects of a person's social and political identities combine to create unique modes of discrimination and privilege. Intersectionality identifies advantages and disadvantages that are felt by people due to a combination of factors. - Wikipedia

Ø  What is black feminism’s aim

To Educate and empower. I believe that wisdom is knowledge, and the knowledge of oneself is powerful.

 Ø  Is It necessary?

We believe its necessary, because being a young black woman in America can be rough. At every corner stone- there seems to be someone ready to tell you about yourself, by self-educating, we uplift ourselves and choose our own destinies. There are strong narratives against black women from the workplace, to relationships that prevail us from winning in life- as young girls become young women, we believe it is detrimental to have strong role models to guide them into that journey.

 Ø  Isn’t all Feminism equal?

 Not necessarily. Being a feminine woman in todays day and age is already challenging, add race to the mix and it gets a little sticky. I along with many others out there, feel that the experiences of black and white (or simply non black women) are navigated through different lenses, and experienced in different ways, Black feminist women are not always welcome in the same spaces as white feminist.

     Exploring the intersectionality that is being a Black. Feminine. Woman. Empowering and uplifting black women everywhere !

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Letter To A Change Agent

Letter to a change Agent

Dear ABC news,  

Did you know A young girl’s self- image is partially shaped by the world around her? The portrayal of black women in today’s society seeks to emasculate us to our counterparts. We are hypersexualized and profiled by society from young ages. The same narratives about fatherless black girls, ghetto, hot Cheetos, hoop earring wearing young girls, with frug dealer boyfriends is reiterated in novels, spread through television, all over media and is spread as a trend. These negative stereotypes negatively depict black girls that force us into boxes. These narratives are dangerous, and trap may young girls into victimhood. It further allows society to paint depictions of us without a true understanding of black identities. In cases like Breonna Taylor’s, Sandra Bland, Denise Gray, and many other young black women killed by law enforcement, these women were misrepresented in the media. As was the case for a number of young black men repeatedly targeted by racist police officers.  The victimology of these cases presents them as of heinous crimes, while contradicting showcasing news headlines which depicts them as nothing but thugs and rebellious citizens who were uncooperative, even illiterate. This is a stark contrast from the words often used to describe non-black or white men and women killed. The story headlines of such are read and titled as “upstanding member of the community’, great/ good people and so forth. Another example in case, a black man who heroically skipped his job interview to save victims out of a burning car is praised in a few stories published by ABC, CNN, and even publicized by the PEOPLE’s magazine. I was lucky enough to read a few lines of the story before reading the title-which open discovery slightly offended me. It horrified me that this brave young man- was chosen to dishonor in this way “an ex-convict saves victims from a car crash victim” the title read. The link of this story can be found here- https://people.com/human-interest/ex-con-skips-job-interview-helps-crash-victim/.  This is simply another example of a young black man being unjustly profiled not even for a crime, but rather a heroic act.  My argument is that had this been a white male- his criminal record would have served no purpose whatsoever in this case. That titling was done purposefully, and it is the continuous humiliation of black Americans in this country that will keep racism alive. What this means for black feminist everywhere is that we simply cannot correct or change the narrative in America post slavery, post segregation and civil rights era. The depiction of black men and women in social media- allows racist ideals to continue existing. All I ask as a young woman is that media corporations like yours get the facts straight and not use the sufferings of black victims as click or watch bait.  Wording matters, and the way you choose to tell our story tells us how we stand a chance in this country. Representation matters, and if there’s going to be a story told, we want it done correctly.

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Inspirational youtubers

Black feminism as a movement holds the core value that the experience and intersectionality of being a woman and being feminine vary greatly when it comes to race. My channel explores this topic further by advocating for, and brining to light the shared experiences of black women worldwide- as it affects every day to day life, in relation to sexism, class oppression, and more.

While this topic is one that is not popular in the media, on various social media networks, such as this one; famous celebrities, and smaller influencers have made names for themselves doing similar work to what I have started. Youtubers such as “Chrissie” “ Queen Chioma” “Real Talk with Yannie’ and “Miss Feminine” are all channels that produce mass content on their channels with videos, podcasts and series doing femininity talks. Collectively they inspire young black women to take ownership of the Beings that they are, to awaken a desire to generate the best life they can for themselves, despite the hurdles and struggles that come with being a black woman in today’s society.

I urge you all to follow these accounts, as they have hugely enlightened and educated me as a young woman and encouraged me to seek a femininity journey of my own.

https://www.youtube.com/c/ChrissiesWay

 https://www.youtube.com/c/QueenChioma

  https://www.youtube.com/c/MissFeminine

 https://www.youtube.com/c/RealTalkWithYanie

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Women In Politics

Politics in America is tricky- understatement of the year! Race politics in America is tricky- even more so. This is especially true of lack politicians. My question today concerns Senator Kamala Harris who’s views on black men and women is especially…concerning. I ask myself and I ask you all, is supporting another black person in office self-defeating if that person has a negative view of the entire black population.

To give you a better understanding on our politician of the day, here is some background information about here. Born October 20, 1964, Kamala is an attorney and politician, who served as the junior United States senator in California since the year 2017. She was born and raised in Oakland California and went on to become an alumni of Howard University, The university of California, and Hastings College. She began her political career in 2003 and according to Wikipedia became the elected attorney general of California in 2010-later to be reelected in 2014. In 2016 she made history and cemented her name by becoming the first African American woman congresswoman. Ever Since then started and ended a democratic presidential campaign for 2020 and was actually presented as Joe Biden’s V.P running choice.

It is not her political party choice but rather her enforcement of administrative law as a result of her prejudice views of black people that concerns many black people, myself included.  Accountability and justice are important to black feminist in a world that views black bodies as disposable. The numerous laws she has helped to create have jeopardized and torn up many black families. For example, she aided in the creation of the truancy law. This prohibited parents in California to allow their children to miss over 10 percent of school days with no valid excuse. The effects of this law will covered on our next discussion post next time, in the meantime comment down below to our starting question. Is supporting another black person in office self-defeating if that person has a negative view of the entire black population?

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Letter to the Editor

Bethany Butler in her post in the Washington posts talks about Megan Thee Stallion, A.K.A “Hot Girl Meg” as she calls herself, born Megan Pete is an up and coming rapper making waves in the music industry. Her latest song Savage is her most single EP, and drew national attention from fans of all ages who created a tik tok dance challenge to the song, blowing it up even further. Her fandom came storming to her defense earlier last month as she was dragged on the internet for her involvement in a police incident featuring Tory Lanez. On July 12th it was confirmed from Meg herself that following an argument while in a car, she abruptly attempted to leave followed by angry gunshots aimed at her feet from tory Lanez. Police video cameras showed her limping in pain to the middle of the street where she then laid on the ground in police compliance. It was noted by several news sources that she didn't tell police that Tory had shot her for his own protection, in an attempt to avoid heightened tensions revolving around his possession of a gun, which as a black man has often led to more violence than necessary in these kinds of scenarios. What came as a shock to her supporters, and to myself was the backlash and blame she received as the VICTIM. THis is nothing new, yet still surprising as black women have generationally adopted the toxic trait of this community narrative of codependency and protection of other black members of the community and valuing their own lives as more valuable. While she protected his life from the police and reputation from the media, his supporters and many others mocked her saying she was lying about the incident when she is truly the victim! A question i asked myself and leave you with is this, should black women protect other black women or men simply because they are black, even if they are in the wrong; and how does it translate when it backfires.

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Hey! Welcome to me page, glad to have you stop by. This page is designed and tailor made for your entertainment, educational and inspirational value. In our community we have fun! Share stories and cater to self empowering black women all around the world. We serve young queens to show them their worth, to show that feminism has a place in our community and that we all deserve equality. Share your thoughts and opinions with us by interacting with our page, and sharing with your friends.. and your friends...and their friends!

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There’s feminism..and then there’s black feminism. Being a woman is hard enough, imagine being a black woman in an age when feminism has already made its stride-tied in with other civil movements, and what that means for the everyday black woman. This unique intersectional identity calls for #struggle, #fighting to be seen. The feminist wave has swept us aside forcing us to define for ourselves what being a feminine black woman in the 21st century is all about. #TheStruggleIsReal