Dear White Feminism, You Seem a Little Tone Deaf.

Can you hear that? The world is moving forward and the demand for inclusivity of betterment for all women can be heard yet sometimes even the behavior of women is silencing these demands. Imagine looking to a friend to express a complication in your life that makes it hard to function normally, and the weight it puts on your shoulders. Now imagine that friend replies with “Don’t you think there are bigger worries in the world?” This is what white feminism looks like to many women of color (WOC), and it creates an extremely harmful barrier for WOC to make their voices and oppressions heard. What many “intersectional” white feminists fail to realize is that they may be the oppressed, while also playing the role of the oppressor when it comes to gender, race, and class. There is nothing intersectional about asking WOC to simply forget their race related issues to further your own progress. Ignoring the role of race and class within feminism creates regression, and what we continue to see is straight, white, middle class women being the center of the movement. Feminism moving forward is becoming more aware of this issue, and with it we see more WOC rallying for equality of representation in media. WOC are leading the forefront of solidarity within feminism as we see them break away the corroded pieces that lack any essence of intersectionality. White feminism plays a dangerous role in the solidarity of women, and is often seen tokenizing and oppressing WOC within the movement with little interest in their issues. To survive, feminism must become intersectional, and as we see that sentiment is growing everyday.

Let us not forget how many of the greatest icons of feminism were staunchly opportunistic when it came to women’s suffrage. Millicent Fawcett, Susan B. Anthony, and Elizabeth Cady Stanton are all guilty of perpetuating an ideology of whiteness above solidarity. We see a pattern of white feminist rallying every woman they can to fight for a the cause, while passing silver between hidden hands on the struggles of WOC. These women become immortalized in a world where those who look like them reap the greatest benefits sowed, all while WOC are tucked away within the sheets of history and smothered. Statues are erected, quotes are etched into plaques among the halls of glory, and a false flag of solidarity is flown with such vigor it becomes hard to see the writing on the wall. What we see is the cycle of white feminism uninterrupted as allies and women ignore the cries of WOC who are tired of coming in second place in the fight for autonomy. Stories of black women seeking to rally women together for recognition of injustices the media ignores are filled with backlash from white women who feel that the deeds they have already done should be noticed, or that black women are ignoring the bigger picture for worries that are not universal. This abuse is not just reserved for black women, but women of all walks who do not fit within the standardized fight for equity that white feminists push for. The greatest damage to women within the movement comes from the idea that all struggles are dwarfed in comparison to the end goal, and this creates a rift within the solidarity of women overall and further fissures the ability to see that struggles are intersectional.

In a discussion with Jasmine Millner  (@jsmillner on Twitter) we see a prime example of how white feminism becomes overly hostile with black women. Jasmine makes a point that many of these women are “. . . comfortable in their worldview and never having it challenged.” which is a major factor in how white people observe struggles. Empathy is completely lost in situations where white feminists are asked to steer away from the streamlined goal, and remain in the dark on how their actions render the solidarity they wish to sow impossible. To white feminists their race places a major part in how they make decisions whether they are conscious or not, and this is a major reason we see WOC straying away from the rhetoric and goals of feminism. White feminists have been narrowing the scope of their interest for so long we've forgotten that the "end goal" is to focus on equity overall. Another extremely important factor to note here is that the prominent figures within the movement are heralded by both white women, and men.

Allies play a huge role when they ignore the struggles and words of WOC. Jasmine even spoke on this, she said ". . . when the time comes to be an all, non WOC need to take a step back and give the floor to people who have actually experienced this oppression. It's great to be an ally, but once you silence the people you're supposed to be supporting, that's when you're in the wrong." Silencing the oppressed is a role many take on without even knowing, it can be subtle or it can be extremely loud. White feminism does this in such a methodical way that we are often blind to it, but we regularly see WOC speaking up and out against the oppressors within the movement. Gaslighting, tokenizing, and pacifying WOC has become the scent of white feminism, and you can smell it clinging firmly to the air around those "progressives" in charge. The lack of equity within a movement pushing for equity is loud, a drone that cracks the spines of all around it.

One of the most important things that white women can do is listen. WOC experience a unique form of oppression in that their anatomy, and their race are the bloodied nails in the cross they bear. WOC have been fighting within a system that has done all it can to keep the center of attention off of them, and this cannot persist. Allies should want to hear the voices of all women, not just the ones that look like them in the majority. How can we ever expect to move forward if we limit the realm of our gaze to one perspective, one ultimate "goal" within a maelstrom of violence and oppression. WOC deserve a platform to speak on their rage and sadness within a world that continues to make them second class, and we should all do better to keep the podium leveled for those who have long been oppressed. As long as white feminism drowns out the cries and calls from WOC, we have no movement.