Follow Up: Responding to Hilary

I agree with Hilary that feminism is very complex. I would not even be able to define it in one sentence (or even 2 or 3) since it encompasses so much. I have always assumed that feminists all had the same goals in mind without really taking into account the diverse background that they each come from. The readings of today pointed out the impact of these differences between women and how this influences feminism.

Lorde set out actively to challenge white women, confronting issues of racism in feminist discussion. It is interesting to explore the connection between racism and sexism. Lorde argues that to allow these differences to continue to function as disconnected would be to replicate the oppression of women indicating that women will never be free.

I think it is clear that feminism and racism are incompatible. Racism is a form of male domination, of the domination of men by men, and thus one facet of what feminism is fighting against. Furthermore, black women face other issues that white women do not. This relates to Miles when she argues that the women of color in the magazine group experience feelings of racial oppression along with struggles of being a female. It is not right to assume that “black women shared our feminist perspective” (179). One cannot assume that all women struggle with same issues.

The authors’ arguments made me think of the following questions:

What ways other than those discussed in the readings do sexism and racism interact in today’s society?

How does an African-American woman experience female oppression compared to a woman who enjoys white privilege?

By denying this connection between racism and sexism, we are preventing real lasting change. In order to combat the issue of race within the feminist movement, I agree with Hilary that we must first realize and accept that they exist. Once we understand that we can move on to establishing a more understanding society. Lorde and Miles discuss ways to counteract this. I agree with Lorde that we should not ignore the differences, but rather embrace them. Miles asserts that they should reach out to other women to open the space for discussion of our differences. It is important to attract a wide variety of women to participate and create “greater awareness of the issue” (181).

The topics discussed in today's readings have stimulated a line of inquiry and have opened my eyes to the challenges women face. It has also encouraged me to re-think concepts of ‘race’ and ‘sex’ and the implications that result from their influence in political practice along with other realms in society.