“Hood Feminism”: What it means to be an intersectional feminist
Graphic by: Rania Omer
The concept of feminism and what it truly encapsulates as a social movement has long been a complicated process of evolution. It has persisted with the flowery, overarching message of the innate equality between genders. However, it’s not hard to tell that this supposed value has not been put into practice for everyone. It should be a no-brainer that if we truly want to bring about equality, then it must include all women – but if so, why does feminism not currently serve that purpose, and how can it change to fit that lens going forward? If you’re looking for an answer to these questions, (and you definitely should be), I recommend to you Mikki Kendall’s “Hood Feminism: Notes from the Women That a Movement Forgot”.
In a compilation of essays, Kendall outlines the idea that what we currently know as feminism in the United States has been anything but inclusive of women and the problems they face. It has ultimately failed to capture the unique experiences of various marginalized communities.
In other words, the current take on feminism completely lacks an intersectional lens, an aspect Kendall believes is essential for an inclusive movement. The concept of intersectionality states a person’s identity is not singular, but instead is hopelessly entangled with multiple aspects of oneself. These layers produce individual experiences that emphasize the different challenges women face depending on their various identities.
According to Kendall, this concept is essential to creating solidarity among various communities of women, and a space for a kind of feminism that is inclusive of everyone. She takes it a step further by explaining the necessity of being more than just an ally of another’s struggles, but also an accomplice. In order to fit into an inclusive lens of feminism, we must actively protect one another by speaking up across community lines, and uplifting the voices of all women.
Living in the world we do, it is crucial to take on this viewpoint as it grows more complex in its issues and the identities of its people. Kendall depicts the cruel truth of how feminism operates now, while beautifully explaining the potential of what the implementation of a widened perspective can mean for our society today.
It is a worthwhile read that opens our eyes to the uncomfortable reality in which we may be perpetuating in a continuous cycle of underservice, and how that realization and an active change in behavior is crucial to creating real change.
Additional Book Recommendations:
Stamped by Ibram X. Kendi
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
When They Call You a Terrorist: A Black Lives Matter Memoir by Asha Bandele and Patrisse Cullors