The idea of feminism formally began with the Seneca Falls Convention in 1848 where both men and women gathered to fight for the rights of women.
Feminists have been fighting ever since to give future generations of women a more equal tomorrow.
When the movement first began, it was connected to slavery. There were African American women leaders involved in the movement including Sojourner Truth and Ida B. Wells. Eventually, a divide between white women and Black women occurred with the ratification of the 15 Amendment.
Even when the 19 Amendment was passed, it mostly only benefitted white women. Black women living in the south were often obstructed from voting and faced fraud as well as intimidation by election officials.
When fighting for equality continued in the 1960s, racial minorities were not advocated for. Much of the time white women were the only ones being discussed, this is called White Feminism.
There are a few thoughts behind why this is:
- It was believed that the struggles and inequalities white women faced were the struggles and inequalities all women faced
- The white women would get their problems solved first and then the disadvantages of Black women would be dealt with later
- The inequalities of Black women were simply just seen as less important and were ignored
Because of this, many women do not identify themselves with feminism
Intersectional feminism was coined by Kimberlé Crenshaw in 1989. This is the idea that social injustices overlap and create different experiences for those with different identities.
An example: women may face sexism, and people of color may face racism, meanwhile, the two identities of Black women can lead to an even greater disadvantage.
Race inequality is not separate from the inequalities faced by gender, class and sexuality. Rather, they overlap and can compound the discrimination faced.
Sometimes, people even neglect to acknowledge all of the identities people may have. They are told to push one part of their identity aside to focus on another.
It is almost impossible to prioritize one part of your identity over another. All parts of our identity make up who we are. Otherwise, we are dehumanizing people, simplifying them down to one specific thing rather than a whole self.
The future we as feminists hope for must be fair for all. Otherwise, our mission is not over. Injustices cannot go unchallenged; we must question the decisions made by those before us and speak out for those who are in need.