in light of the recent comments made by Gerraldine Ferraro, the ever underlying presence of racism and the backlash against feminism i think it’s time we talk about the issues within our movements. we absolutly-fucking-positively have to confront our own racism, sexism, homophobia, classism, ablebody-ism, transphobia, sizism &tc. WHITE PATRIARCHY AND THE POWER SYSTEM are the enemies, but when we actively participate in that WE ARE OUR ENEMIES.
we live in a society where are constanly exposed to these things, and talking about them once or going to an anti-racist training once doesn’t solve the problem. we can’t magicaly unlearn a life time’s worth of oppresssion & privilege. we have to get to the root of it.
so, how do we do this? well, let’s start by educating ourselves. white privilege workshops, anti-racist trainings, women only discussion groups, talking to your dyke best friend (who might soon be your trans best friend), writing down your experiences, domestic violence workshops, documentaries, reading Angela Davis, bell hooks, Valerie Solonas, Emma Goldman, Anne Schaef, Arundhati Roy and that zine you picked up at the radical book fair are a start (so is My Gender Workbook by Kate Bornstein), asking questions and a number of other things. check the primary souces on you high school or college history book!
now, let’s empower ourselves. how? create art, zines, blogs, articles about how we confronted our internalized oppression. volunteer at a domestic voilence center, for the Black Panther party, at a homeless shelter, for the campaign of a third party canidate (like Cynthia McKinney), provide day care for groups let by women of color, or where ever you know you will learn more and feel rewarded. go to Take Back the Night or Dyke March or start your own Take Back the Night. start a girl gang. help out your friends.
then, educate others and let them educate you! whether you spread yourzine around, start conversations at the bus stop, tell people how you actually feel, call people out when they use words like “gay”, “nigger”, “cunt”, “pussy” or call women ugly because they don’t fit into society’s white & skinny standard of beauty. talk to other women about their experiences and yours. lead a white privilege, internalized sexism or domestic voilence workshop. write on the bathroom wall.
live it. take everything you’re learned and shared and live it. don’t contribute to gentrafication, hold meetings in places that are excessable by bus, write letters to politicains, newspapers, magazines… don’t support companies who have fucked up practices, support local music, and yourself and your friends. stand up for yourself and others. subvert capitolizm by buying fair trade, homemade or not buying at all.
and then get back to educating yourself, again!
this is only a beginning. it’s time to stand up to the stereotype of the racist white feminist. it’s time to confront ourselves, each other and find out who our real enemies are.
