Should I be fighting for the freedom of my race or the freedom of my gender?

by Terina White

I understand the need for a black feminist movement. I will admit I still don’t fully get the terms womanist or womanism. The definitions, scope, goals and ethics are all ambiguous and have changed meaning over the years, but I believe I get the nature of their goals. I don’t really have an opposition to black feminist or womanist. I look at it as it is; That there are several different areas of black life that possibly need to be taken apart and examined at a deeper level by those compassionate enough to dedicate themselves to that area. I think about people who work to advance adult Black men’s literacy, or work to decrease homelessness in the black community. I think these things are similar to women seeing a need within the black community and working to fix it. Therefore, it is a necessary group. My own personal passion just doesn’t lie in the feminist movement. My passion lies in dealing with the larger struggle. My fear with black feminist though is that they often seem to look at themselves as separate from black men and I think this is a dangerous way of thinking. We don’t ever need to look at ourselves as separate. We need to see ourselves as a community who needs to strengthen itself by strengthening EVERYONE in the community, not just the men and not just the women.

Another thing I thought I would comment on from the lecture by Sonia Gipson Rankin is how she comments on how feminism is sometimes inaccurately seen as male bashing. I personally see this behavior amongst black feminist all over the internet. I don’t like it and it is one aspect of black feminism that I don’t agree with. I don’t like it when black men bash black women, and I don’t like it when black women do it either. So, my only suspicion with black feminism is just in making sure it doesn’t do more damage than it does good. I recently read a book called Disintegration by Eugene Robinson and after reading it I fully understand that any further breakdown of our "racial solidarity" would ensure that we never rise from our current state.