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“Hood feminism is lived feminism. It’s the women who do the work, who are present in communities and making sure that their kids have school and at least somewhat accessible medical care. It’s great to want to be a CEO or to be president, but you should also probably make sure that your neighbors have enough food to eat and their homes are safe,” said writer and activist Mikki Kendall in a recent interview with NPR, explaining the title for her new book, Hood Feminism: Notes From the Women That a Movement Forgot. The book tackles the specific ways in which the mainstream feminist movement has silenced black voices, centering the narratives of white women and hiding behind white supremacy. Hood Feminism is a challenging book that picks apart the racist history of the feminist movement, and ultimately builds the foundation for a more intersectional form of activism.
But further than just examining the ways in which white supremacy has infested the feminist movement from its very origins, Kendall makes a case for reframing discussions of issues like gun violence, the mental health crisis, poverty, education, and healthcare as inherently feminist issues. She points out how not only are black women the frequent targets of gun violence, but many of them develop conditions like PTSD as a result of their proximity to violence. She notes her own personal experience with an eating disorder, challenging feminists to take notice of the mental health crisis facing black women who are not given adequate access to resources that address their specific traumas rather than victim-blaming them. She challenges the myth of the Strong Black Woman who can always take care of herself, advocating for the importance of black girls receiving help and support to combat the many traumas of racism, sexism, and classism.
She makes equally compelling points about how unfair housing and unequal educational opportunities perpetuate poverty in black communities, issues that are facing many black women in America. She dissects the cultural insistence on piling shame upon mothers who are food insecure or cannot adequately provide for their children, how white feminists are ready to talk about motherhood, but not about motherhood when survival is not guaranteed. In addition to these crucial issues facing black mothers, she points out the further discrimination that black women, gender non binary, and femme-presenting folk face in the medical field. She points of the massively disproportionate childbirth mortality rates for black women in comparison to white women (regardless of class or income), and the difficulty that non-white, non-cisgendered, and differently abled women can have when it comes to receiving proper treatment and having their pain treated rather than dismissed.
Hood Feminism is challenging on purpose, and Kendall is very intentional in the ways that she challenges her readers’ comfortability with the subject matter. She is not shy in naming the ways in which the white-centric feminist movement has failed people of color in a myriad of ways. But she does not heap on the blame meaninglessly, in each chapter she presents actionable solutions for working towards a truly intersectional feminist movement. She advocates for white feminists stepping back and letting black activists speak up and attend to the needs of their communities, while also using their platforms to elevate these black voices and share black stories. The book ultimately advocates for a community-based approach to feminism, and Kendall articulately creates a portrait of what the feminist movement could become if women would have each other’s backs instead of engaging with oppressive systems. An exceedingly well-written and passionate clarion call for anyone who wishes to call themselves a feminist to fully commit to the pursuit of true gender equity.
Further Reading: Kendall’s first book is a graphic novel about the history of black female activism, called Amazons, Abolitionists, and Activists. British feminist writer Lola Olufemi’s Feminism Interrupted similarly advocates for dismantling white centric feminism. If you’re looking for more texts about black feminism, who better to start with than the legendary activist and writer, Angela Davis. Women, Race, and Class is an absolute classic and great jumping off point, and Are Prisons Obsolete? is required reading.