As black people fight for liberation, black women’s voices are utilized to further the movement but are never heard when it comes to our own concerns. When you are a black woman, sexually and racially you are oppressed. When topics such as black liberation are discussed, it is viewed as liberation needed for black men before women. We can see this kind of centering of black men within modern day movements as well, like black Lives Matter. Black women, although being at the forefront of the movement and the organizers, have been continuously left out of discussions regarding black lives and liberation. It is easier for society to name black male victims than black female victims. This sort of erasure develops over time as black women are told to devote themselves entirely to the black men in the community which means putting their needs before your own. From an outside perspective it can be seen as women being expected to remain submissive to men, but with blackness there is an extra element added into the justification for expected submission, that being race loyalty. The Combahee River Collective Statement of 1977 explains that although we have solidarity with black men, there is still sexism that needs to be addressed and that black women need to protect themselves from within the community. “It was our experience and disillusionment within these liberation movements, as well as experience on the periphery of the white male left, that led to the need to develop a politics that was anti-racist, unlike those of white women, and anti-sexist, unlike those of Black and white men.” To be a black woman is to combat white supremacy and the patriarchy at the same time. In my experience, it is very validating to read that there is in fact more than one issue that intersects and affects our experience. Growing up I witnessed how  a lot of the time my community will not acknowledge that you can be two things at once. And this presents itself as people in my community comparing our progress to the progress made by other groups. I’ve heard ignorant comments that claim raising concerns about how black men treat black women is divisive, or how society cares more about the LGBT than they do black people, which is entirely false. Black queer people are often left out even more when it comes to black liberation as the movements we have center black cishet men and give little attention to those facing multiple systems that can contribute to violent and usually deadly attacks due to their identity. In the video Paris is Burning, they mention how being gay and being a black man makes the world harder for you. Like Lizbeth mentioned in her response “Both racism, sexism, homophobia and transphobia are captured in the scene of the snapshot and the documentary film, without community and their solidarity the struggle would be greater and safe spaces would not exist had they not created them for themselves and each other. In the same way the Mothers house the children, black individuals who share a common struggle had to be “homes’ to the younger and set an example.” By forming solidarity with ALL black people, it helps us fight against oppression much more effectively. We will not get any further by fighting with each other when the real threat is the people at the top.

Historically men have placed an extreme emphasis on women’s perceived shortcomings yet at the same time have also held us to an incredibly high standard regardless. Trying to get your male partner to share the housework or being unsatisfied sexually are things women have been conditioned to settle for and that men have been conditioned to find themselves comfortable with. Men have even gone as far as creating justification for this experience that more often than not, benefits them and not women. As stated in the Myth of the Vaginal Orgasm, when we are not sexually stimulated or satisified by what is satisfying to men, we are deemed dysfunctional and met with claims of mental illness and problems with development. As if we are programmable artificial intelligence, we are supposed to train ourselves to like what they like so that men can be satisfied at all times. As summarized by Koedt in their excerpt ‘The myth of the Vaginal Orgasm’ “Once having laid down the law about the nature of our sexuality, Freud not so strangely discovered a tremendous problem of frigidity in women. His recommended cure for a woman who was frigid was psychiatric care. She was suffering from failure to mentally adjust to her “natural” role as a woman.“ (Koedt 1970).

Narratives and myths like this contribute to the global societal objectification of women. We are not viewed as human beings with thoughts, feelings, senses, the ability to feel pain, and the list goes on. It has been dehumanizing living as a woman once you realize the abundant lack of empathy men have for you. It is isolating and scary to live in a world where you are expected to be a tool for the pleasure and emotional fulfillment of men, their children, and not yourself. Even down to things like maintaining basic routines that are a necessity for living and functioning, men will boil it down to feminine work. Feminine meaning work that is not worth doing, work for the weak or lesser, etc. In ‘The Politics of Housework’ Mainardi talks about the many ways their husband routinely downplays, complains about, or tries to avoid housework altogether.

“I don’t mind sharing the work, but you’ll have to show me how to do it.”MEANING: I ask a lot of questions and you’ll have to show me everything every time I do it because I don’t remember so good. Also don’ t try to sit down and read while I’M doing my jobs because I’m going to annoy hell out of you until it’s easier to do them yourself.” -(Mainardi 1970) Within my household, the men do the same thing. It is obvious that they know how to maintain cleanliness when they find it necessary, like when they take time out to clean their gaming consoles or take the time out to get ready for work. They care for things they find worth caring about. That is rarely the cleanliness of their own living space as women are expected to carry the burden of that care as well. 

The ERA (Equal Rights Amendment) was initially created with the intent to get women the right to vote. Written by Alice Paul the founder of the National Woman’s Party, the amendment has evolved into an amendment that ensures women are provided with all the rights they should have. The ratification of the ERA faced many deadlines and setbacks. Particularly in 1972 when the rise of anti feminism led to women like Phyllis Schlafy successfully attempting to instill fear in the American society about what the ERA would lead us to, like gender neutral bathrooms and women being drafted. Some women feared that the passing of ERA would negatively impact the legal work hours allowed and after tragedies such as the triangle shirtwaist factory had taken place where 146 of the deaths were mostly young women. Shamina described it in her response as “Women were not permitted to leave the factory or even take breaks, and because the doors were frequently locked to prevent this, many women were unable to evacuate once the fire broke out. The video focuses on the estimation of 500 workers, most were teen, young women.” Perhaps this was why Phyllis Schlafy’s anti feminist narratives had permeated the American people’s idea of what the ERA stood for and how it would impact American women. The Ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment would positively benefit court cases that involve the abuse of women and the disregard of womens rights. It would provide more support for cases in which women have the right to sue, so in instances like workplace sexual harassment for example. The amendment would provide a foundation for these cases to stand on and aid arguments that claim there was discrimination ‘on the basis of sex’ as the article ‘Virginia just became the 38th state to pass the Equal Rights Amendment.’ states. It would eliminate any potential laws that have the possibility of infringing upon women’s rights. In today’s current society it would help fight against and possibly eliminate the reproductive laws that prevent AFAB people from having control over their bodies, like with the Texas Abortion Ban. The ERA would also help with sex-based harassment. In my workplace, I’ve been harassed a few times and made uncomfortable by a few male coworkers. At the time because I was new, I thought the behavior was coming from a place of kindness being that I didn’t know much about the job. But after I started to understand the power dynamic, and why they thought it was okay to do things like this, I realized that it was in fact sexual harassment. If the ERA were passed, I’d feel more comfortable speaking up about sexual harassment and I wouldn’t feel as though I’d have to worry about being believed. It would make me feel like I have a chance at fighting back and that my concerns would be taken more seriously. However I know that my concerns would not be taken more seriously because of empathy but because of the fear of legal action.

The suffrage movement has always had prominent figures like Susan B Anthony be the forefront and face of feminism. Whenever the history of feminism is mentioned, it’s almost certain that you’ll hear the name Susan B Anthony. What she represents however doesn’t encapsulate her actions during the height of the movement. Anthony was in fact an exclusionary feminist who held racial bias despite being presented as a leader who should be praised for her strides towards equality for women. Women like Ida B. Wells routinely and persistently combatted the silencing of black women in the suffrage movement by forming organizations like the NAACP, the Alpha Suffrage Club and the National Association for Colored Women’s Club. When told that black women would have to march in the back, she would make her way to the front. Black suffragettes were not included in the fight for political equality such as the right to vote. Feminists like Anthony voiced dissatisfaction over black men gaining the right to vote before black women, showing how Anthony’s values were not rooted in equality for all women but rather White women’s proximity in power to white men. Liberation for all women was not the goal among suffragettes like Anthony. Genawang mentioned in her response that “The quote I found in that youtube was I will cut off this right arm of mine before I will ever work or demand the ballot for the negro and not the women.” Telling us that basically women really deserve to vote more than Black Men.” A lot of white feminists viewed womanhood and women’s rights under a white lens, as they were the default. Blackness in a lot of cases has a hyperfocus on black men rather than black men and women. I feel like this is why in a lot of movements, the needs of black women are often overlooked and disregarded. Especially within the feminist movement, the structure of it within America makes it so the needs of whiteness takes precedent over any other race/s needs. For example I remember freeing the nipple being a nationwide controversy and it garnering so much attention, however when thousands upon thousands of Indigenous women went missing, there was little coverage if any. When it comes to the needs of women of other races, the outrage is less collective and more individualized and because of this it means that issues that plague women of color often need to rely on social media to spread awareness and keep momentum. However I believe that feminism has gotten better at addressing multiple issues at once and how they affect people differently. There is more discussions on how fetishization affects women across all races, or how our society continues to endanger trans women by centering cis opinions constantly. I do think it’s because more women of all backgrounds  have come forward and voiced their reality across social media. Growing up I realized that I had shared issues with white women when it came to sexism but in all actuality, my experience was nearly the exact opposite of theirs. While white women have the privilege of being infantilized and seen as hyperfeminine as a default, my entire life consisted of trying to prove my femininity and that my skin color did not mean I was immune to pain, tragedy, or trauma. I’ve noticed that while white women fight to be seen as strong and equal to men, black women have tried to dismantle the harmful strong black woman stereotype we are routinely placed under.

Activism has been led by the youth of every generation seeking a future that has implemented the necessary changes society needed at given points in time. Nowadays, activism can be said to lean more towards digital awareness and organization relying heavily on the internet for most of its impact on society. As someone who is a part of Gen-Z I haven’t been around long enough to witness the shift between physical and digital organization but I have been able to witness how social media activism brings about change and has been responsible for unheard voices finally getting the attention and value they deserve. 

In Wendy Syfret’s ‘How to Think Like an Activist’, they state how the internet has aided in important information, facts, stories, news, etc. no longer being subjected to “The traditional hierarchies of what and who gets reported.” Less news gets censored by those who feel the need to censor it and as a result, social issues are no longer (for the most part) swept under the rug and deemed nonexistent. Because of this social media activism has in a way revolutionized the way that we are able to raise awareness on a massive scale. As the globe becomes more and more digitized as a result of widespread technology, there is almost no way to sweep a political, social, or economic crisis under the radar without a small percentage of the population knowing and therefore spreading it across useful platforms. However social media activism does have its drawbacks. As quickly as it grows in numbers, the foundation and its momentum are not easily and consistently maintained. A movement can gain mass popularity and fizzle out in a matter of days, weeks, even months. In my lifetime, I’ve seen this happen with the hashtag movements #SaveSudan, #BlackLivesMatter in mid 2020, #FreePalestine, #PrayforParis, #Icebucketchallenge, where the public will all collectively engage in raising awareness but will soon forget about the hashtag as its trendiness fades, forget and move on to the next movement/social issue. Hashtag activism is a strength and a flaw in the case of internet activism, because as useful as it is in increasing the speed at which the information reaches the public, we have also been programmed to only rely on them for limited periods of time for limited purposes. 

However there have been successful movements that maintained momentum through the start of a hashtag which then blossomed into in-person organization and action for change. Like BLM and MeToo, which have had frequent spikes in attention on social media. Despite these spikes they still maintain a solid foundation, and with that they are able to do more than just raise awareness. These movements and their actions being sustained resulted in infamous, vile politicians being exposed and called to the court to explain their involvment in sexual assault and  pedophilia. It led to some but not all indictments of officers who have brutally murdered innocent black women, men, and children. I believe that if the public is livid enough, and if it affects just the right amount of the population, that the use of social media for activism will only be a tool used for the benefit of the movement overall and not it’s primary source.

Vanessa mentioned in her response that “Take the crisis in the Middle East as an example. If it were not for social media, we would not know the severity of the situation out there. The media rarely ever covers the situation, and when they do, they do not cover the full scope of it. However, with social media, we can see the stories of the people out there. “ And I have to agree that when it comes to international news, we often wouldn’t see much of it if it weren’t for social media. I believe this is largely due to the US trying to uphold the image it wants to project to others.

Oppressive systems aren’t just made up of individual actions but years and years of social constructs and institutions contributing to empowering and upholding these structures. For example racism, sexism, etc. are all systems that can’t be boiled down to a few shared experiences. Instead it is the amalgamation of actions and systems that work against a specific group of people in order to maintain the power for the other group. This is where privilege arises, and one may benefit from one aspect of their identity but suffer at the expense of another aspect. Allan G. Johnson in “Patriarchy the System” elaborates that if we reduced things like the patriarchy to just individual behaviors we would essentially be ignoring how structures are influencing these experiences to begin with, “If we see patriarchy as nothing more than men’s and women’s individual personalities, motivations, and behavior, then it won’t occur to us to ask about larger contexts—such as institutions like the family, religion, and the economy—and how people’s lives are shaped in relation to them.” (Johnson 15.) As a black cishet woman, I have cishet privilege but will still lack power due to misogyny and racism. Things that are rooted in misogyny will still result in my harm and the same goes for parts of society rooted in racism. “Within the lesbian community I am Black, and within the Black community I am a lesbian. Any attack against Black people is a lesbian and gay issue, because I and thousands of other Black women are part of the lesbian community. Any attack against lesbians and gays is a Black issue, because thousands of lesbians and gay men are Black.” (Lorde 1983) In my own experience I’ve found that whenever one marginalized group is attacked it always creates a trickle down effect. Eventually the oppression spreads like mold and it begins to affect every group similarly but in different ways. Even in modern day America, although I’ve only been alive for 20 years I witnessed how dehumanized black children and victims of police brutality were in the media as a teenager and only for me to witness it happening to asian people a few years later in current time. Myweleman mentioned that “I think that patriarchy is universal, everywhere. Patriarchy is in every country, in America, Japan, Saudi Arabia, France, Congo, Ivory Coast . We can find patriarchy in all of this nation. Patriarchy is like oxygen, everywhere, men can not live without this way of dominating. It is innate. Sometimes people tend to point to another country, but patriarchy is right there next to them.” And I completely agree. I’ve seen some people use the argument that because in some ways American women live under better circumstances than those in other countries that feminism is no longer needed, but obviously it doesn’t matter the intensity or magnitude of the misogyny. Feminism is to combat all forms the patriarchy presents itself in. Due to the patriarchy being everywhere I often wonder if it’s possible to dismantle it or if it’s something we should attempt to reform instead of destroy entirely because of the difficulty that comes with tearing it down.