The past few months have made it abundantly clear that proactiveness and working together are key to making it in this world. There are a lot of new policies and rollbacks that are coming to fruition that specifically target women, especially women of color. So it’s important to use the tools that we have to protect ourselves and one another.
One important tool is womanism. Though it may sound like another way to say feminism, it’s a little different. And it’s important to know the difference to serve ourselves and our communities better.
Let’s start by defining what each of these movements are and where they began.
Feminism
The feminism that originated in the ancient world and coalesced in 18th-century Europe and has become known as “protofeminism.” Of course, there’s pushback on that term as some consider it as a way to box in the movement and ignore a nonlinear history that feminism seems to have. The feminist movement that many are familiar with began in the 1920s, spearheaded by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony. This is known as first-wave feminism and is the foundation that many current feminist circles pull references from and are a direct line of. This movement sought to seek political and social equality among women and men, specifically as it pertains to voting rights in the United States.
A big criticism of first-wave feminism is that it totally lacked intersectionality, a concept introduced in the late 20th century by legal scholar Kimberlé Crenshaw. The early feminist movement pushed women of color and queer women to the back and advocated almost exclusively for white women’s voting rights. Although there was a related push to abolish slavery in the United States, the differences in how Black women were advocated for as compared to their white counterparts left a bad taste in the mouths of many non-white women at the time. Criticisms of that problem persist to this day.
Womanism
If feminism is a foundation for social and political advancement, womanism is the house that is built on top of that foundation. Womanism as a term and movement originates from the 1983 book by African American author Alice Walker titled In Search of Our Mothers’ Gardens. Through Walker’s writings, the womanist movement is defined as something that seeks to offer a more intersectional and encompassing movement that doesn’t ignore the specific plights of Black women and other minority women as opposed to it’s first-wave predecessor.
Womanism as a movement seeks to be a much more intersectional and inclusive movement, one that acknowledges and works to dismantle the hardships of women whose issues differ from their cis white counterparts. This is something that is still a prominent subject today, even more so as we seek to deconstruct and address the internal misogyny that comes from growing up in a patriarchal society as well as a racist society, a homophobic society, and a transphobic society.
The TERF Issue
The acronym TERF stands for: Trans Exclusionary Radical Feminist. It’s a group characterized by the exclusion and hostility towards transgender people, especially as it pertains to trans women in the greater scope of feminism and the feminist movement. Because TERFs do not see trans women as women, they do not see the point in fighting for them the same as they do cis women and are actively against the betterment of trans women’s lives in society. Recently, you’d see the term TERF being used to describe Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling, who’s come under fire for her blatant and open transphobia, donations to anti-trans organizations, and dangerous rhetoric against trans women.
As one might guess, TERFs and their ideology are not normally welcome in the intersectional friendly spaces that womanism usually fosters. In fact, there is a clear line in the sand in the different sides on the issue. The saying and call to action “trans women are women” is often used as a way to fight back against the TERF ideology and let trans women know that their fight is also important to many in the womanism and even feminism movement.
What Is the Best Way to Get Active?
While being an involved and active participant may seem like a daunting task, there’s no action too small to begin with. If you’re not sure where to start, you can educate yourself on issues pertaining to women not only in the United States but in other places as well. There are plenty of women on YouTube who make long-form content to give you some insight and viewpoints that you may not have thought of before. There’s Olurinatti, who speaks on many issues, but many of her videos cover issues like domestic violence, legal disparities that Black women face, and things like being proactive when it comes to voting. There’s also Intelexual Media, which covers things through a historical documentary lens. Many videos cover what it was like for women during specific times in American history throughout the decades, even having an entire video looking at the treatment of women during Freaknik.
You can also donate to organizations that aid women in need. Firstly, there’s WRRAP, standing for Women’s Reproductive Rights Assistance Project. This nonprofit aids women in receiving financial aid for reproductive health assistance such as safe, legal abortions, contraceptives, and a safe nonjudgmental space to explore those options. They take donations and also accept volunteers. There’s even a program to send letters to clinics or women to give someone a show of support and understanding.
While feminism has been a great beginning point and stepping stone in the betterment of womankind, it’s not a perfect movement and its history paints that picture very clearly. Womanism was built with forward momentum in mind and an understanding that different women have different needs and it’s okay to acknowledge that. White women, Black women, queer and trans women all face different kinds of bigotry. In a time where women are being attacked from all sides, it’s important to work together and support each other with the best tools possible. Intersectionality is one of the most important.
