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A blogger named Barbara Sostaita recently wrote an article on the Huffington Post titled I Refuse To Celebrate Your Feminism. She writes that the old feminism, that was primarily about anglo-saxon middle-class white women, is not enough anymore, so she will not celebrate their history. During Women's History Month, she and other non-white women must endure "31 days during which I am subjected to the celebration of white women's accomplishments and victories, many of which have come at the expense of women and communities of color."
Instead, she wants "Nicki Minaj's "Miley what's good?" feminism. Beyoncé's ***flawless feminism. Sandra Cisneros' "becoming a woman comfortable in her skin" feminism. Toni Morrison's thick love feminism. Warsan Shire's give your daughters difficult names feminism. Maya Angelou's still I rise feminism. Gloria Anzaldúa's mestiza consciousness feminism. Ntozake Shange's for colored girls for allfeminism." In part, Sostaita has gotten her wish. If you do a google search of feminist icons, there are such women as Gloria Steinem and Hillary Clinton, but also Oprah Winfrey, Maya Angelou, Bell Hooks, Yoko Ono, and Beyonce. It is true that the movement was so long represented by a few famous names, most of whom were white, but that is no longer the case. The younger generation is speaking up about women's issues, and they have their own leaders, leaders who are bringing a new sense of urgency and passion that has dwindled over the last few decades. Most encouraging, women are reclaiming the word feminist. Long vilified by conservatives as some kind of militant, lesbian, man-hating group of activists, feminism became a dirty word, and even women didn't identify themselves as feminists. But leaders such as Lena Dunham, Malala Yousafzai, Beyonce and Anita Sarkeesian are taking back the true definition of feminism by showing that it is really about empowering women to stand up for themselves at home, in the workplace, online, in the community, and against the sometimes vicious and vile attacks that women face when they speak up. Feminism is about creating a fair world for all, holding all to the same high standards, and social justice for all. So I hope Sostaita does not reject the advances that have been made over 150 years of feminism, but that she uses her obvious talents and passionate voice to build on it by bringing in more of the voices that she lists in her blog. She is absolutely right to point out that women of color have been pushed to the edges and celebrated as after thoughts. But that could be said for women in general. Why is it that we only hear about the accomplishments of women scientists during Women's History Month? Why is it that we hear about only a sprinkling of women business owners throughout the year? Because women are still tokenised, and yes, women of color even more so. Sure we have come a long way, but we still have a long way to go. We need generations to come together and ethnicities to work together because as long as we are fighting among ourselves about who represents feminism, the issues that are most important to us--economic and social justice-- will not be solved to our liking.
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AuthorI am a yoga instructor, author and activist. I wrote The Diamond Tree to inspire women to take chances. Even if the outcome of any given risk is different than expected, there is something for the community and the individual to gain from it. Archives
May 2020
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