Black Feminism: For all Women
Black Feminism Today
The word “Feminism” searched on Google alone is defined as “the advocacy of women’s rights on the basis of the equality of the sexes”. When you search up Black Feminism Google can not define it. So I will, Black Feminism is the advocacy of a diverse body of women acknowledging all the ways race, culture, economic standing, etc affect women in different circumstances. Let’s remember white women got the right to vote in 1920, by the 19th amendment, but there was still a systematic push back on the right of black women to vote. The purpose of the women rights movement was to obtain the rights of all women, and made women of all races and economic status stand together; at the end of the day, the women’s right movement progressed the rights of white women and classified it as the progression of all women’s right when in reality if you weren’t a white woman you were left out.
The Black community and even more the women within the black community are closing in on the specific issues within society that have to be put to rest. Instead of the Civil Rights Movement, we now have the Black Lives Matter movement, the Me too movement, and the Black Girl Magic movement. The figures for women’s rights and black feminism have changed throughout the year. Two female figures highly associated with the progress of rights for the African American community are Harriet Tubman and Rosa Park. Just two of the most iconic women in the fight for black people to be treated as equals. Now two of the most iconic figures who embody black feminism are Michelle Obama, American lawyer, author, and former first lady, and Tarana Burke, the activist who created the met too movement in 2006.
Black feminist movement promotes the uplifting of all women no matter the race, economic class, etc. For example, in 2011 public figures Amber Rose supported the first annual slutwalk. Year after year the participants grew and other areas started having their own slutwalks. In the past the goal was freedom. We achieved it to an extent. Then basic human rights and eventually we achieved it. Females like Amber Rose and their allies have decided a walk to support the end to rape culture, including victim blaming and slut shaming of sexual assault victims. These movements are not directed only for the benefits of black women. Women of different backgrounds come together to promote progress for all women no matter what their race may be.
The drive that pushes African Americans forward every day had changed throughout the years. We no longer suit for freedom from a master, we shoot for financial liberation, education shoot liberation, social liberation, and more.