The Root of Feminism

There was a discussion in my 'BLK Woman, Culture, and Power' course about compulsory

feminism, the function of compulsory feminism has attempted to erase those who have worked through gender oppression that do not label themselves as feminists. The reading “Africana Gender Studies: Toward Theorizing Gender Without Feminism" written by Valerie Watkins, refers to the term “de facto” which means by virtue, if a person supports women’s rights and is against misogyny, they are automatically a feminist. Watkins explains this as, “a form of intellectual imperialism that discursively colonizes” (Watkins, 2007). Feminism is rooted in white supremacy because it began through white culture. Feminists have attempted to make their ideologies a universal lens on gender.

The suffrage movement completely abandoned Black women and of course, this led to Black women led organizations. Black women had no choice but to defend their virtue, to change the ignorant and unfair lens that Western culture had forced upon them, including feminism.

The reading also spoke toward the distinction between Black feminism and Africana womanism. Womanism attempts to analyze Africana women within different spheres (social, political, cultural), instead of how feminism isolates Black women and their ideas, only uniting with the ideas that share similarities to their Eurocentric experience. There are also those who do not label themselves, “non-aligned woman”, who want to explore possibilities of discipline specific normative theory building. This creates a stronger foundation for non-Eurocentric and radical perspectives to gain visibility (one may identify as a womanist and with non-aligned women).

We need to push back toward the destructive thought that if one does not identify as a feminist, they are automatically against women. Feminism is anti- Africa, white women feel they need to “save” African women which really means to repress and leave their culture, to "move forward" but forward toward what?