Understanding
How White Feminists Oppress Black Women: When Feminism Functions as White Supremacy
Monnica T. Williams, Ph.D., ABPP | January 16, 2019
Excerpt from the article…
As I shared my observations and convictions, I was abruptly cut off by the moderator, a senior academic White feminist. The mic was taken from me, a woman of color, and handed to a White woman who had her own personal story of oppression to share. I was silenced, my uncomfortable words forgotten, and I became irrelevant. At the podium, the moderator affirmed her lifelong commitment to feminist ideals, while I was shamed into submission. This is White Feminism. …
True feminism has the power to transform society, but too often what is advanced as feminism is actually White supremacy in disguise – a counterfeit we sometimes call White Feminism. White Feminism exists to promote the comfort and safety of middle-class and affluent White women. At its core, it is a racist ideology that claims to speak for all women while ignoring the needs of women of color and suppressing our voices when our agendas and priorities don’t align.
The Problem with White Women
Much has been written about how white women perpetuate and/or support racism and include behaviors such as using our white fragility and tears as as weapons of oppression or calling the police on POC for ordinary things like having a picnic. Historic reasons include, and go beyond, white privilege and supremacy.
What is White Feminism?
Erin Monahan | Feb 4, 2020
Excerpt from the article…
White feminism is, not grappling with how, as white women, we are oppressors too. White feminism does not look at itself, does not aim to de-center itself, and is only concerned about its own social and economic capital. White feminism is refusing to confront and account for the ways we cause harm due to the blinders that come with white privilege.
True feminism has the power to transform society, but too often what is advanced as feminism is actually White supremacy in disguise – a counterfeit we sometimes call White Feminism. White Feminism exists to promote the comfort and safety of middle-class and affluent White women. At its core, it is a racist ideology that claims to speak for all women while ignoring the needs of women of color and suppressing our voices when our agendas and priorities don’t align.
