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1. Let’s discuss the dilemma that many Black women faced in the days leading up to the Women's March on Washington. To march or not to march?
2. For one, 94 percent of Black women voters voted for Hillary Clinton, while 53 percent of white women voters voted for Donald Trump.
3. To make a long story short...
4. In a word...
5. That brings us back to the dilemma at hand. Should Black women be expected to help clean up a mess that they fought hard as hell to avoid?
--> #WomensMarch <--
This guy gets it.
6. And, more importantly, would Black women be expected to take a back (of the bus) seat to the same white women who dropped the ball spectacularly last November?
7. Some Black women decided to attend the march despite, or perhaps, because of this complicated inner conflict, while others understandably opted out and supported their sistren from afar.
8. Keep in mind, this inner conflict is nothing new. Black women have long since pointed to not only the privilege that white women's skin color affords them, but also the ways in which that privilege has directly led to the oppression of women of color.
9. There's actually a neat little term for this complicated discourse about race, gender, privilege and oppression...Intersectionality!
The @ELLEmagazine scholars of @AJCCenter are here for @womensmarch #whyIMarch
Intersectional feminism: making white women check their privileges at the movement door since 1989.
10. You see, an advocate of intersectionality would argue that the feminist movement is one dimensional and focuses mainly on the discrimination and oppression of cisgender*, middle and upper class, able-bodied white women.
11. Circling back to this notion of privilege, the more social and physical disadvantages you have against you, the lesser your privilege and the worse you are perceived.
12. And by disadvantages, I mean racism, classism, ableism, homophobia, transphobia, xenophobia, religious intolerance...
13. For example, a white straight, cisgender woman? One strike. A Latina cisgender woman? Two strikes...
14. A Black transgender woman? Three strikes.
15. Here's another example of intersectionality, illustrated by Black lesbian (two strikes) writer, activist and overall warrior Audre Lorde...
16. So, following intersectionality's line of argument, to achieve equal rights for ALL women, the feminist movement must stop marginalizing, excluding and silencing underrepresented women.
17. (Basically, Audre Lorde be knowing...)
18. Now that we've covered intersectionality, this sign should make much more sense. "Hello white protestor counterparts! U mad that your rights and lives are being put at risk by the American government? Welcome to OUR America since SLAVERY."
19. Ergo, Intersectionality X ((Slavery + Jim Crow + Modern day Racism) / Civil Rights Movement) ^ Our Current Political Climate = A Right to Have Whatever Opinion We Damn Well Please.
20. Including those opinions about the Women's March and our participation or lack thereof.
21. Because, a blatant, systemic disregard for Black women's lives is nothing new to us.
22. And, we've been riding hard to fight oppression and discrimination in this country for generations.
Ready. #WomensMarch #whyimarch #womensmarchonwashington
23. That's not to say that we don't recognize and acknowledge our woke allies who understand that silence is, in fact, consent.
24. Believe me, we see you.
25. But after all the pink pussycat hats and fierce posters have been stashed away, we're left with one question...
2. Surprised/grateful this pic has gone viral, but my sign wouldnta occurred to me if not for the writings of… https://t.co/s56Wpwdy7W
26. Like I mentioned earlier, this ain't our first time at the rodeo.
27. We understand the power of Black sisterhood...
28. And, Black motherhood...
29. And #BlackGirlMagic...
30. And we have the right to both critique and celebrate a movement launched under a banner that has historically excluded and oppressed Black women.
31. The moral of the story?
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