There is nothing wrong with a woman wanting to be a housewife just as there is nothing wrong with her wanting to be a corporate drone. I can't understand how an individual can represent "feminism" but not respect a woman of sound mind to make her own lifestyle choices.
Sadly, third wave feminism is not all inclusive of every woman, and I guess that's probably true, to many social institutions...leaving out persons they claim to benefit. But whenever you notice the people or institution who claims to represent you, start to degrade you, take a minute to question if that institution even respects you. You don't have to hail "third wave feminist" to attain the respect and equality you deserve.
A woman can and should be respected in her household just as much or maybe even more than in the boardroom.
Originally titled Pussy Power [The Power of Women], I've since decided to expand the content of this blog. Rather than solely focusing on feminism, varying topics will be included under the newly titled blog, Life Continuum - Life, Liberty, and Feminism(LLF).
Sunday, August 31, 2014
Sunday, August 17, 2014
A War Within a Race (Repost)
The House Negro and the Field Negro – Malcolm X
“…He ate the same food his master ate and wore his same clothes. And he could talk just like his master - good diction…”
-Malcolm X
I've always experienced questioning and inquiries about the way I speak; how I choose to deliver myself. The overarching belief that it sounded too white, my white friends thought I sounded fine; because I sounded like them. And I couldn't sound any other way or else I wouldn't have friends.
That is where it began; between the House Negro and the Field Negro, as Malcolm X puts so eloquently in the speech he delivered at Michigan State University in 1963. Black kids who perhaps tend to speak intelligently are immediately labeled as trying or acting white. Or get made fun of for sounding “white” particularly by black counterparts. (Something I've experienced on multiple occasions) But this was the slave master’s original plan: to put the House Negro and Field Negro at odds with each other. It immediately pins people that by all understanding should be united in a fight against white oppression. Instead they end up fighting each other, on the belief that the House Negro has become too much like their master, and that was the master’s plan all along: to start a war within a race. A plan that has worked for centuries, a plan that still works today...
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Saturday, May 31, 2014
Rape Culture: What We Choose Not to See
*An essay I wrote in early March on the great debate of rape culture; still in original, essay format.
Rape Culture: What We Choose Not to See
Rape culture is
real and ever prevalent in our society. Rape culture is defined as an
environment in which rape and other forced sexual activities are prevalent but
normalized within society; thus being considered a societal norm. Generally the
ideas of rape culture are perpetuated and streamlined through media outlets,
negative, misogynist language, overall degrading of women, victim bashing and
deemphasizing of the actual crime of rape or sexual assault. Originally derived within the third wave of
feminism, the terminology rape culture was designed to address a lack of sensitivity
and respect to the actual act of rape. Currently in American society and
throughout the world there tends to be a very blasé and almost humorous
approach to the severity of rape, and there is little to no acknowledgement
that rape is an actual crime in some developing countries. But as far as
America goes many average citizens fail to take into account the real issue of
rape culture because people choose to believe it’s not a reality or a concern;
no want wants to acknowledge the elephant in the room. Rape culture, is an intrinsic
part of our culture and not a positive one either. “In our culture rape and
sexual assault is made to be both invisible and inevitable.” How does one
change a culture that turns a blind eye to the severity of rape culture?
“It isn’t true.” “It’s
just a new thought movement from more radical feminist.” “If she doesn’t say
no, well then it wasn’t rape.” “Rape culture, what is that?” The main issue
within society realizing and accepting rape culture as an issue is the fact
that it’s underrepresented and laced with heavy skepticism. Many people already
have very warped views of what exactly rape is and any other form of sexual
assault for that matter; particularly young men of my own generation. Rape and sexual assault is seemingly a fact
of life, a truth that can’t be escaped when the National Center for Injury
Prevention and Control at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
states that one in five women have been raped in their lifetime. A mindboggling
statistic born out of a national telephone survey of about 16,500 adults in
which surveyors extracted information on types of physical and sexual violence,
including rape. Moreover the majority of these sexual assaults and/or rapes
fall within the age demographic for women between 17-25 years of age, according
to the RAINN, the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network. Furthermore the 2008
National Crime Victimization Survey by the Bureau of Justice Statistics, stated
more than 75% of the women who reported a rape were under 25 years old at the
time of their assault. That being said that age demographic falls largely
between young women who are most likely in school or a higher learning
institute i.e.: college, university; which comes to the next point, that rape
culture tends to be of high incident within colleges and university.
College
campuses of today have garnered a notorious reputation for almost ignoring the
severity of sexual assault and rape, becoming one of the largest proprietors of
rape culture. With a multitude of cases
in which colleges across the nation have mishandled victims reporting sexual
assault and/or rape it’s become a frequent and normal aspect of the college
experience. Therefore completely embodying the definition of rape culture to
begin with; a society who readily expects rape as a normal and anticipated situation.
University of Ottawa, in Canada will be hosting its first annual day of
reflection on March 24th 2014, to commemorate and reflect on sexual
violence that’s been occurring on and off their campus. Kalamazoo College in
West Michigan is also taking a hands on approach to sexual violence on campus
by hosting an annual 3K run each March to spread awareness that we need to
support the victim, not blame them. The biggest issue within the college campus’s
microcosm is that many college officials aren’t well trained in how to handle
sexual assault victims and furthermore almost try to dissuade victims that an
actual assault has occurred, rather attempting to sweep it under the rug,
rather than create an unnecessary blemish on the school’s reputation. A
specific example being a former student of University of Massachusetts Amherst,
Angie Epifano whom laid out the horrors of discussing her rape to Amherst
officials and administration in which they repeatedly questioned her
authenticity. Officials even went as far as to make statements such as, “Are
you sure it was rape? It might have just been a bad hookup…You should forgive and
forget” and also using other excuses such as being that due to the perpetrator
was about to graduate it was pointless to press charges. Now it’s important to
remember this is one individuals experience, which of course could harbor some
biases but this isn’t some contemporary thought process for college campuses.
These schools need to keep up donor funding, high rates of graduation and offer
a safe and comfortable environment to students; with stories of rape and
assault coming out the wood work, college administrations definitely feel the
pressure to sweep certain issues under the rug. And this is how you move to the
issue of victim bashing within the concept of rape culture. Using the previous
example stated, Epifano states officials and administrators, tried to coerce
her into believing it was a consensual sexual experience, or that perhaps she
misinterpreted what happened, which is a very common aspect with rape culture;
blaming the victim. In 2011 Toronto police officer, Constable Michael
Saguinetti suggested at a college roundtable discussing the issue of campus
rape that in order for women to remain safe, “…women should avoid dressing like
sluts…” asserting that through one’s way of dressing makes them more
susceptible to sexual assault. On the other hand some countries in South Asia
and into the Middle East have exorbitantly high rates of sexual assault and
rape. Ironically enough countries like Saudi Arabia and their geographical
neighbor Iraq have laws and codes regulating women’s form of dress, with the
use of hijabs, burqas, and veils. However according to the Women Stats Project
(2011) Saudi Arabia and surrounding countries are currently facing a rape
endemic; due to the taboo believes of rape and overall disregard for it in
these countries, statistics are few and limited. This information is being
stated to express that there is no correlation between one’s manner of dress
and being raped; if that were the case there would be no reports of sexual
assaults in these “modest,” Muslim countries. Dressing provocatively doesn’t or
shouldn’t make you more susceptible to rape; this is a matter of self-control not one’s way of dressing. The statement made by Constable Michael
Saguinetti, of course was crude and founded off complete ignorance; beliefs
like that essentially say to the victim, “this was your fault and in some way
you brought this assault on yourself,” which is the furthest thing from the
truth. And this is a belief system that many people carry, that sexual assault
and rape is partially perpetuated by the victim, almost removing any blame
towards the rapist and gearing it towards the person who originally and still
is the victim.
Furthermore
the college campuses of America have also gained notoriety for another aspect
of rape culture, date rape culture. Date rape, meaning a sexual assault
facilitated through the means of alcohol or sleep inducing drugs has been
around since the early 1980s but it was only until wide spread usage of drugs
like benzodiazepines and Rohypnol that police noticed the trend of rapes and
sexual assaults related to the usage of said drugs. These forced acts became
prevalent throughout the 1990s, the majority of which were taking place within
downtown club scenes, with relatively young clientele. Before long the Drug Enforcement
Agency (DEA) and other state law enforcement officials were forced to crackdown
and grasp hold of not only the drugs being used in these attacks but how to
tackle the issue of trying to try rapist using drugs to facilitate an assault
in a court of law. As the hysteria of
date rape decreased in the early 2000s, it was making a new name for itself in
the dark, dank living rooms of frat houses; a fairy dust like substance being
dumped into a girl’s drink, a hand slipping around her waist before she
completely tumbled over and a trip upstairs, or in the cheap interior of some
guy’s car. Rape in of itself has been a serious issue on college campuses for
decades now, but as previously stated is an issue that is forcibly concealed. A report entitled “The Sexual Victimization
of College Women” (2000) by the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) which is
under the US Department of Justice stated a college with 10,000 students could
experience as many as 350 rapes per year. Point in case: sexual violence is a
common occurrence on college campus.
Now
on the other hand there is a pool of critics whom don’t believe that rape
culture is a concept or even exists for that matter. Christina Hoff Summers,
author of the controversial yet highly acclaimed book, "Who Stole Feminism? How Women Have Betrayed Women" (1994) claims
rape culture beliefs are based off a flawed study, suggesting that “one in four
women do not get sexually assaulted or raped in her lifetime.” While that
statistic was generated from a fairly small pool of women surveyed, and there
is variation in the ratios as to whether its 1 in 4, 1 in 5, or 1 in 6 women,
it doesn't negate the fact that one in four, five or six of those women within
the statistic did experience some form of rape and/or sexual assault. In an
article entitled “It’s Time to End ‘Rape Culture’ Hysteria” for Time Magazine,
written just a few days ago the 20th of March to be exact, Caroline
Kitchens, the author suggests that “Though rape is certainly a serious problem,
there is no evidence that it’s considered a cultural norm…on college campuses,
obsession with eliminating ‘rape culture’ has led to censorship and hysteria.”
Yet if 1 in 5 women in the US survive rape or attempted rape, and 1 in 6 men
are abused before the age of 18, how is rape culture not a cultural norm? These statistics aren't just generated from a
computer and dispensed for societal consumption; they’re real people; the fifth
or sixth person respectively that you see walking down the street, or through
the student union of a college, leaving a party or a club. Critics of rape
culture tend to counter with the belief that rape culture is a hysteria fueled
thought movement, and that its media driven with warped statistics and poor,
distorted images of what truly occurs on campuses, but the facts state
otherwise. Rape and the culture surrounding it was indubitably intensified through
heavy media portrayal, and while some will claim that overzealous media created
a state of pandemonium, which I won’t refute; it also opened a Pandora box. The
extensive media coverage essentially gave those disturbed viewers a “how to”
guide on how to administer the drug and then the results there after. But it
also allowed society to realize that we had and have a problem on our hands,
that isn't going away, that has found its ways into our college campuses, and
that is adversely affecting women and possibly some men too.
No one ever wants to look at the faults of man
and society, the blemishes that clout our societal face; we’d rather put on cover-up
or hide behind a mask. But when it hits home, when your daughter is shunned
from her school like Angie Epifano, her cries for help and justice falling on
the deaf ears of society, then it becomes real, somehow the culture and belief
you had no opinion a few months ago becomes real, it’s not a joke or a bad
dream; its reality. Rape culture is not a laughing matter, and not a falsified
one either, the hysteria wasn't generate on a lack of evidence, the hysteria
was generated because a multitude of evidence and victims. Rape and the culture
surrounding it effects hundreds of thousands of girls who are shunned and
ridiculed to save face for colleges and university are real people, and real
people make up believes and customs, that make up a culture, our rape culture.
All rights reserved
Sunday, February 16, 2014
The Chase Reloaded
Being that the previous post I wrote was really generated
out of pure, raw emotion I wanted to take a more in depth approach to the chase; what it means, is it a mutual
activity, who should take the first step…
In my previous post I was specifically discussing my own
issue with the chase; finding myself
in a position where men were expecting me to make the first move and keep the
lines of communication open; text them first, call them first, which as soon as
I realized this albeit bizarre pathology I just stopped reaching out to that
male all together. If there’s one thing I've learned in my life is that chasing
people doesn't make them stay, it makes them run further away from you. I learned
that lesson after chasing the first man that showed and allowed me to
experience love; my father. Not in any instinctual or illicit sexual manner but
he legitimately was the first man who ever loved me, and after an amicable
divorce from my mother he moved on accordingly with other people, and for the
longest time I chased and begged for his attention and to re-establish the
daddy-daughter relationship we once had. But my mother scolded me for this
behavior, “…don’t ever chase after a man…” she’d say and eventually I realized
he was so far ahead, even if I was sprinting I would never catch up to him; I
would always be chasing. From that point to today I feel I could never do it
again; chase after a man, I stopped chasing after the most important man in my
life so I’m definitely not going to chase a male who has some sort of
confidence issue and gets off on women messaging and calling, receiving some
ego boost because someone cares enough to reach out to him.
And in talking to other people they discuss fluid gender
roles and how there’s no issue with a woman asking a man out or a man asking a
woman out, which I agree with. We’re in evolutionary period where I don’t think
the woman taking the first step is as taboo, or desperate as it might have been
perceived in years past. But this has nothing to with fluid gender roles and
equality it’s an issue of manners and etiquette. Women who want to take the reins,
more power to them but that doesn't negate or invalidate a population of women
who might want a man to take the first step; I don’t mind power exchanges, I’ll
take the reins in a mutual situation too, so it’s not one sided; but lately I
feel like that’s all I run into, men waiting for me to take their hand and lead
the way… give me a break, and I don’t mean that to alienate men but I don’t
want to your mother, especially when you’re older than me…I guess the whole
with years come wisdom is specific to a minute percentage of the population.
In this evolving
society it seems that the definition of a man has been lost in translation…the principals
and weight carried along with the title of being a man has been all but
removed. And the argument can be made that we live in a society that emasculate
the man but that doesn't mean you have to fall victim, being stripped of any
masculinity you have.
The stereotypical
roles of men being the breadwinner, the head of the household, and the only one
who climbs the corporate ladder are over, I don’t agree with them and they are
completely alienating and disrespectful to the abilities of women, no doubt.
But in the previous expert taken from my last post there needs to be an
understanding that gender equality isn't suppose emasculate the man, and that
seems to be what has happened. The principals and weight of being gallant and
respectful, being a decent male, those are not to be forgotten, and sadly they
have; raising boys as masculine, beastly men? No. But as humans, as adults that
still harbor chivalry and respect. Present day guys trying to pass as men but
without the know how on approaching women, or how to be respectful. It’s
mortifying and frankly I go as far as to say it’s an epidemic. I’m not saying
there aren't decent guys out there, because there are but they've been
overshadowed by a generation of men who have no idea how to be just that, a man.
The chase is a vital part of the courting process, and I
don’t mean hunting the individual down, but a desire, actively seeking the
individual…I mean if that’s not happening, unless it strictly hooking up with
no strings that’s a situation that doesn't sound like it’ll be metastasizing
into anything more than a game of cat and mouse. And I've done that with enough
guys to not want to anymore.
And now I can breathe…
Please excuse how late this post is!
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Sunday, January 19, 2014
The Chase
You expect me to chase you?
Just a quick blurb for thought but lately I've come across
this issue: Men, grown men expecting me to chase after them. In this ever evolving,
modern society we live in many things have changed from the definitions of family
and marriage to the ever increasing technologies we have at our fingertips;
that being said there seems to be this new wave of thought on how courting
should take place in this modern world. And it seems as though role reversal is
the mantra of this generation…where women need to take the reins and seek men
out. And I have no issue with a woman who knows what she wants and is confident
enough to go after it, but personally speaking I usually let it come to me, and recently I noticed once it comes to be and I begin conversing with the individual
I’m apparently supposed to keep the lines of communication open at all times…call
him first, text him first, suggest this and that, as if I’m trying to start a
relationship on my own. Pish Posh!! Give me a break, I don’t care if it’s 2014,
common courtesy does not go out the
window, I’m not saying you have to run me down on a constant basis but at least
give me an idea that you actually want to hear from me, that you give two craps
about my well-being…it’s a two street. Neither party should continually have to
reach out; if there’s a mutual attraction shouldn't it come from both ends? And
then male friends and counterparts always make the argument that their tired of
chasing after women, and yeah you have some run of the mill girls who just want
to be showered with compliments by any means necessary but that doesn't negate
the population of women who desire the respect of a man taking the first step…idk a man being a man perhaps? In this
evolving society it seems that the definition of a man has been lost in
translation…the principals and weight carried along with the title of being a
man has been all but removed. And the argument can be made that we live in a
society that emasculate the man but that doesn't mean you have to fall victim,
being stripped of any masculinity you have. Perhaps somewhere, someone doesn't
even find this to be an issue, but as a woman it makes my stomach churn and I
just needed to get that off my chest. I
will never chase down a man, it’s completely unorthodox and unbecoming; and
here comes the importance of realizing your own worth as an individual, I know
some females who will jump before a guy even says “how high” and that is the
result of a failure to see yourself and what you deserve as a woman, as a human
being.
*waving my white flag*
#blurbforthoughtThoughts?
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Tuesday, January 14, 2014
Feminism: Black Feminism? (2)
So it has now become readily apparent that in writing my
last entry(link above), there was no way the paradox box of race I so desperately wanted to
leave closed can stay that way…and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. I just
think I assumed it would be easier, or less controversial to not discuss, to
ignore the role race plays in feminism because at least from my perspective it
seems to be a pretty taboo topic. And before I really get into this post I definitely
want to thank a fellow feminist and moderator on the feminist page; you of
course know who you are and I thank you for challenging me in my earlier post,
for asking questions and therefore forcing me to generate responses and get a
better grasp of what my position was and why I had it. Being a novice to this
blogosphere of feminism has been a challenge no doubt and I appreciate receiving
vital criticism of my posts.
I think to kick this post of I want to give black feminism a
little more credit. Not because I completely agree with their beliefs but I
wrote that initial post from a perspective of not completely taking the time to
understanding what black women face. I was more into discussing that all black
women aren't necessarily down on their luck and economically disenfranchised
since I’m not and I failed to take myself out of the equation and give the
struggles of other black women and women in general credit and merit. I still know
people who weren't given the best hand in life, have heard stories about
different struggles and that’s something I can speak too. It’s wrong of me to
dismiss black feminism because frankly there speaking to struggles that
mainstream feminism doesn't…
But as I questioned in my last post how well their getting
that message to a mainstream black female audience, is questionable and I’m not
recanting that skepticism I have of the movement.
Furthermore black
feminism became widely known in the 1970s…now fast-forward to 2014, and it
simply isn't at the peak it once was and those black women that started the
movement like Alice Walker, writer of The
Color Purple, Angela Davis, Frances M. Beale don’t necessarily hold the
positions they held some thirty years ago. Those women along with many other
black feminist of their time did their rightly duty, went above and beyond for
the black feminist movement, now it’s time for a new generation to, pick up
arms, to continue what they started and sadly I don’t think that’s happening;
therefore making black feminism become somewhat of an allusion, a novel with no
pages that has failed to actually reach its current audience, it’s 2014
audience therefore leaving unknowing black women to the possible contribute the
movement can offer, the sense of upliftment and empowerment...a sense of unity
in knowing these struggles aren't specific to them; that their not alone. Black feminism can contribute, but in order to
contribute you have to reach the audience you claim to speak for, because if
not, are you truly speaking for them?
What irked me about black feminism was that I felt it was a
succession from mainstream feminism therefore making black feminism an even
smaller speck on the spectrum, getting even less attention now when removing
itself from mainstream feminism.
And I feel as though black feminism is also very exclusionary
of black women like myself, well off
I suppose would be an adequate terminology. Originally I questioned since I was
black and a feminist did that automatically make me a black feminist, which it
doesn't because it doesn't seem that I’m taken into account; I didn't
necessarily grow up with the same struggles, I’m seen as the uppity black that
can’t relate, and although I might not be able to empathize I can sure sympathize
and understand that their struggle is not for the swift but those who endure to
the end. And though I haven’t experienced what they have, I've still had my
fair share of struggles, it’s not like I don’t need upliftment and support
because I’m a little different; if you’re going to have an institution designed
to uplift the black woman it can’t exclude certain black women, that’s just
splitting hairs.
The fact of the matter is mainstream feminism is white
feminism. There doesn't need to be a white feminist movement because the
majority of modern day feminism is run by white females, it’s an inevitable
truth; something that became quite apparent as I went back and forth with that
fellow feminist. And white feminist have different desires, different
aspirations, and that’s fine…gaining positions of power, finally attaining
salary equality to men…worthy causes, causes that I personally am very thankful
for no doubt but these aspirations are not necessarily realistic to all women’s
lifestyles and cultures. The movement faces internal struggles most of which
seem to be swept under the proverbial rug of feminism and I think we should
incorporate the struggle(s) we face internally, we focus so much on making .70
cents to the dollar of men but there are huge disparages in the salaries of white
women versus salaries of women of color.
Is that not important?
This is something I feel is quite pertinent and it makes me
respect black feminism more, if something is not being done for you, sometimes
you have to do it for yourself; and I see this breaking away of black feminists
from mainstream feminism as a direct response to not being acknowledge. In
order to be a functioning unit and institution we need to expose issues that
affect us, affect women; we’re fighting for this and against that and there are so many
internal mishaps, which are just shooed away, why not open the paradox box,
that’s my new mantra…however controversial it may be, I realize my kitchen can
handle this heat because it’s positive to the growth of this incredible
institution that needs to incorporate every woman, not just exclusively working
for some. And I do commend women of the movement currently, because I think we
all hope that the doors they are working to open will be held for my
generations; for me. I respect what's currently being done in the third wave of
feminism, but of course there's always room for improvement…it’s time to bring
these issues to the forefront, demand attention, to generate change. And I’m
not naïve enough to think it’ll happen overnight but maybe over time it can at
least change a little…
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Sunday, January 5, 2014
Feminism: Black Feminism?
I’m Feminist and I’m black.
It recently was revealed to me in reading a race and
feminist related article that black feminism is an actual sub-genre in the world
of feminism and in the blogosphere in general. Prior to me starting this blog I
had never really come across the title and/or belief system, and in all my
posts I never really felt the injection of race was ever necessary; I wrote/write
about experiences and opinions I felt/feel equally played out for women in
general, not particular sects or races. And with some research and reading of
some proclaimed black feminist I can understand the distinction of black feminism, I realize the differences that they’re arguing, but
I guess I never really faced those issues hence why I never did or really could
discuss them. I see their premise being the struggles faced by black women in
some way or another overshadow and are more intense than that of their white
counterparts but that in general is a very perspective and person specific
baseline. And yes in certain cases you do have disparaging differences between
races as far as economic, social and familial structure go, thus creating new
struggles, which is an inevitable truth. Furthermore the wealth gap between
blacks and whites has nearly tripled in the last quarter century, in favor of
whites and wealth usually being the determining factor for all other factions
of lifestyle like education for example does create an issue. That being said I
do understand that maybe in more than just a few cases; in a lot of cases black
women face different or perhaps a bit more strenuous situations. Now this is
not to say you can’t find poverty stricken families of other races and that
other families aren't struggling to make ends meet; and that’s what I want to
make clear, the censuses only go so far; those stats aren't all inclusive of
every families struggle, those charts don’t incorporate everyone’s situation, whether they’re black or white.
As it goes for myself I don’t see my life struggle any
harder than I would of a white, 18 year female with the same socioeconomic upbringing
and family structure as I have. I live in an upper middle class town, an hour
from NYC, and more than half of my town’s demographic is white. And I think
that inherently puts me at odds of truly
understanding and empathizing not sympathizing
with black feminist. Frankly when I first heard the terminology I thought, “Well
here’s another example of race further dividing a people rather than unifying
over the simple desire of gender equality.”
And then it occurred that being black do I know fall under
the label of: black feminist? Am I supposed
to pick up arms and take on this new sub-culture’s battle cry? And I mean I genuinely
think I can’t, I simply have no understanding or ties to this particular genre
of women. Yes, my complexion is dark but I don’t know what it’s like to
struggle in the black community because I never lived there, I wasn't raised or
reared there. Class oppression, economic and educational disenfranchisement,
finding yourself unattractive or less than because of your dark pigment…those
issues aren't my issues and I’m not saying that I don’t care and that I don’t
want to help alter these situations for the better, but it’s very difficult for
me to completely understand them not going through the experience. I do want the
option of decent education offered to every person: black, white, Hispanics, Asian,
or otherwise and I do want to change impoverished and crime ridden communities
and neighborhoods, these are all things I desire but I’d be lying if I said
they were on the forefront of my mind. And it’s not even that I can’t relate to
the community and the issues as much as I don’t think I should try and act like
I've lived there and that I know that lifestyle. Because in large sense doing
that, acting like I've been there and I know the pain and the difficulties, almost
trivialize the point(s) and the situation(s) that black feminist deem as major issues for black women. They’re certain things taken away from
experiences, that are only gotten via the actually experience, some stories can
be told but others have to be lived and I realized that just because I’m black
doesn't automatically enter me into the black feminist organization.
I want female equality for all females whether black
or white.
Straight or gay.
Rich or poor.
Literate or illiterate.
Whether you have a degree or not you know as a person the
treatment you deserve and the respect you desire. For me I’m not going to bring
race into this blog if I don’t have too, it’s simply a paradox box of political
and racial debates that are too hot for my kitchen(lol). And I am of course
willing to bring publicity and notoriety to causes that need it, and if they so
happen to be geared towards a certain race or ethnicity then so be it, if we’re
going to come together as a gender and achieve equality it would be remiss to
leave women behind.
In writing this post and taking time to grasp the ideologies
of black feminism I understand and acknowledge its existence but I think it’ll
take me a bit longer to truly respect its value and appreciate what it’s doing
for feminism as a whole, if anything. And I question how much it actually offers
to the average black woman, who probably has no knowledge of black feminism,
and what it claims to provide, so it’s a very slippery slope.
As always these are
personal opinions of my own and are in no way written to defame, disrespect, or
trivialize any persons or institutes that might have been acknowledge within
the post.
Labels:
Black feminism,
blogging my feelings,
blogosphere,
evolution,
feminism,
feminist,
Imani,
life,
pussy power,
respect yourself,
telling it like it is,
the power of pussy,
the power of women,
what are we fighting for
Location:
Islip, NY, USA
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