hoodfeminism and White Allyship
By Ella Panchot
Hey everyone!
So this post was inspired by this blog on the website hoodfeminism called “‘Transracial’ and Transgender are NOT the same.” This website posts blogs about various topics that have to do with women of color’s intersectional experiences through a feminist lens, and it’s AWESOME.
I am studying media studies and I thought this website was so cool how they have cartoons that represent people of color’s bodies, because they are never seen/represented in the media, let alone next to the word feminism. I think this representation is super important because it allows young girls of color to be able to imagine themselves in these big conversations and movements such as feminism on the internet and in real life, as cartoons and characters are a place where a lot of kids are able to imagine themselves in different spaces such as jobs, hobbies, ideals etc.
This second part of the blog is me, a white cis-gendered middle-class American woman, addressing my fellow white people about how I think we can be better white allies. So if you are a white person and want to hear more about how to be a better white ally in a feminist space, which to me consists of supporting women of color without taking their voice and space in their movements, then read on.
It is not people of color’s job to teach us white people about racism, white supremacy, privilege etc., as this is a form of affective labor, defined on Wikipedia as, “work carried out that is intended to produce or modify emotional experiences in people”. This being said, I think hoodfeminism is not only a great website, but also an awesome resource for us to learn more about our white privilege, racism and more. The article linked above references a white woman, Rachel Dolezal, who posed as being black and took up huge platforms such as President in a chapter of the NAACP. This is a prime example of how, while us white people need to learn about these issues and participate in black activism by being an ally, (which this woman did not do at all as she took the place of black women activists by posing as a black woman with white features and used her white privileged supremacist power against them), we are by no means the people who should be front running the work of this activism, (or posing as a black person ever). However, this is not an unusual case, as there are plenty of white people other than Rachel Dolezal, who are not posing as black, that get into activism positions for people and women of color’s rights that they should not due to their whiteness.
Saying this, we need to be aware that while we may try to be the most educated person in the world on the various forms of racism and be the best white ally ever, we will never truly understand the experiences and forms of racism that people of color go through everyday. Therefore, in order to truly be a white ally, as YouTuber Chescaleigh says in her video 5 Tips For Being An Ally, “If the fight for equality was a girl group, the ally wouldn’t be the lead singer, or the second lead singer, it would be Michelle”. (Side note: Chescaleigh has a lot of other GREAT videos and resources related to this topic to further your white ally learning linked in the comments section of this one, including “How to be a male feminist ally” if you are a man reading this and want to learn more!)
Essentially, as a white ally of feminist activists who are women of color, you should not be the leader, but you CAN be a supporter. And yes, there are a lot of talented white people out there who are great in leadership activist roles. But when it comes to activism for people and women of color, you have to realize that if you are a white person taking one of these activism positions, you are taking the position away from a person of color who wants to do this work and is actively doing this work already. While being a person of color does not by any means mean you are a natural born activist and an expert on racism, a person of color will most likely have a greater understanding on what their community needs in terms of racial equity, depending on their various everyday experiences with white supremacy, racism, microaggressions and more. For example, you would not have a white person leading the Black Lives Matter movement, because we do not accurately know or represent what the black community experiences due to white supremacy and oppression. Being a true white ally for women and people of color’s rights, means putting yourself in a back seat and supporting rather than leading, because only a person of color knows what it’s like to be a person of color.
Have a wonderful day and I love you,
Ella
Works Cited:
“Affective Labor.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 18 Jan. 2020, 18:09, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Affective_labor.
Chescaleigh, director. 5 Tips For Being An Ally. Chescaleigh, YouTube, 22 Nov. 2014, youtu.be/_dg86g-QlM0.
hoodfeminism. “‘Transracial’ and Transgender Are NOT the Same.” Hoodfeminism, 25 June 2015, hoodfeminism.com/2015/06/25/transracial-and-transgender-are-not-the-same/.