A certain Jaime sent this bitch an e-mail asking whether I believe that Senator Clinton’s run for the Democratic nomination has produced a split in feminism.
Blink.
Great question and a nice segue into a topic this bitch has been agonizing about since WAM!, so double thanks to you Jaime (wink).
Shall we?
A bitch has written and re-written this post so many times that I’m embarrassed to call out the number. I have come to the realization that my ass just needs to keep it real and not worry about style.
So, for better and hopefully not for worse, here’s where I’m at.
Senator Clinton’s run for the Democratic nomination has not produced a split in feminism. It just flushed away a lot of that tolerance bullshit and exposed a rift that’s been there since way back in the day.
This bitch just watched Iron Jawed Angels again and found myself screaming at the television set because it ended in a ‘go forth, sister, and be inspired by what these brave women did for you’ GreatBigHappyFuckingEnding after only a token acknowledgement of the deliberate cave by leaders of the Suffrage Movement to southern bigotry that left women of color on the curb for another 40 years!
But then I remembered my blood pressure and had to go to my calm happy place.
Shit.
This rift ain’t new and it is layered with issues of class, race, orientation and identity that all play a role in our goals and tactics. The reason it may seem new is because we haven’t had a happening that demanded an unavoidable examination of our values and our goals in some time.
As my beloved father used to say, you don’t have to do anything but stay brown and eventually die. This is about what we choose to do and why we make the choices we make.
In that spirit, here’s my choice - this bitch ain’t going anywhere anytime soon.
I am and I will continue to be as purple is to lavender.
I honor the decisions of those WOC who have decided to step back or stop blogging. This shit ain’t easy and it can be frustrating as hell. I hope they will return to add their voices to the chorus…but I understand if they don’t.
Pause…consider…continue.
As some of you know a bitch is not a fan of the school of tolerance and I blame a lot of this current drama on it.
We all need to do some inner work and ask ourselves some serious questions.
How do I define feminism?
Do I consider myself a part of the feminist movement?
Do I consider myself womanist?
Why do I consider myself a part of this movement?
What do I mean by the word oppression?
What do I mean by the word privilege?
What do I mean by the word progressive?
Am I keeping shit real and calling out those on the left for shit I would mercilessly correct had it come from the right?
Am I committed to social justice and do my actions reflect that commitment?
Only after we know ourselves can we be a part of something that will educate others and change the world for the better. Otherwise our unexamined drama will surface and define not just who we are but also what the movement is.
This isn’t a call for everyone to gather ‘round a campfire, feast on S’Mores and Come On Get Happy.
This is about keeping shit real…
…and a little something I like to call respect.
Crossposted at AngryBlackBitch.com
Shakesville is run as a safe space. First-time commenters: Please read Shakesville's Commenting Policy and Feminism 101 Section before commenting. We also do lots of in-thread moderation, so we ask that everyone read the entirety of any thread before commenting, to ensure compliance with any in-thread moderation. Thank you.
blog comments powered by Disqus