Thread by @Bon_QuiGirl

A Thread on White Feminism:
While I realize this article may focus on “liberal feminism”, the same can be said for any “type” of feminism. And if you immediately find yourself defensive at what is being said, then you are part of the problem we need to address:
1/35

This thread will be pointing out highlights from the article I and other black and brown women have discussed in private. She has articulated well what my own words would be. A link for the article will be at the end so you may read it yourselves.
2/35

“When I heard about the tragic murder of 18-year-old Nia Wilson, who was stabbed to death in an unprovoked attack in Oakland last month, I could feel my heart begin to bleed. My community of black women were grieving yet again
3/35

Why aren’t the recorded wails of her mother and the tears of her father enough for the whole world to be demanding justice right now? And where are the voices of all my white feminist friends when a black woman had been tragically murdered?
4/35

Almost immediately, at my request, hundreds of commenters asked the white women who they saw as friends and leaders to use their platform to highlight the tragedy of Nia’s death with the same outrage of their black feminist allies. And many did-
5/35

But there were just as many white women—women whose bios claim titles like “social justice warrior” and “intersectional feminist”—that somehow took this call for solidarity as a personal attack
6/35

The fragility of these women was not a surprise to me. In a crucial moment of showing up for our marginalized community, there was more concern about their feelings and ego as opposed to the fight forward for women as a whole
7/35

What could have been a much-needed and integral display of solidarity and true intersectionality quickly became a live play-by-play of the toxicity that white-centered feminism can bring to the table of activism
8/35

It is the type of behavior that rests under the guise of feminism only as long as it is comfortable, only as long it is personally rewarding, only as long as it keeps "on brand.”
9/35

But if the history of this movement taught us anything, it is that intersectionality in feminism is vital.
10/35

Going up against white feminists who refuse to let down their guard of “ultimate liberation” to actually learn from women of color—who have been fighting this fight with grit and grace for generations—is the most straining part being a black feminist activist
11/35

Let's take a dive into a few of the items in The Toxic White Feminism Playbook
12/35

Tone Policing:

When women of color begin to cry out about their pain, frustration, and utter outrage with the system...we are often met with white women who tell us perhaps we should “say things a little nicer” if we want to be respected and heard
13/35

SPIRITUAL BYPASSING:

When confronted with ways they have offended a marginalized group with their words or actions, they immediately start to demand unity and peace; painting those they harmed as aggressive, mean, or divisive
14/35

WHITE SAVIOR COMPLEX:

Instead of listening to what the women of color are trying to express, many white women insist that there is no way they could be part of the problem because of their extensive resume of what they’ve “done for you people”
15/35

CENTERING:

This is the most common of all. White women get so caught up in how they feel in a moment of black women expressing themselves that they completely vacuum the energy, direction, and point of the conversation to themselves and their feelings

16/35

They start to explain why race is hard for them to talk about, what they think would be a better solution to the topic at hand, and perhaps what women of color can do to make it more palatable.

17/35

As these things play out over and over again, it is made painfully obvious that many white women believe that the worst thing that can happen to them is to be called a racist. Let me be clear, it is not.

18/35

Seeing your child gunned down in the street by the police unjustly is worse, being turned away for medical care due to race and underlying biases by medical staff, resulting in death, is worse, being harassed by authorities only to be charged yourself instead is worse.

19/35

I’ve learned through my work that white women seem to only digest race issues when it is reframed in the light of (white) feminism. So I often have to lay it out this way:

20/35

When you try to exclude yourself from the conversation of race by saying things like “I don’t see color,” or “I married a black man and have brown kids,” that's just as irrational as a man saying there is no way he could be sexist or misogynistic because he has a daughter.
21/35

When you seek to not be lumped into the conversation about oppressive systems against marginalized people, because you view yourself as woke, you are essentially screaming “not all men.”
22/35

When you try to rationalize police brutality by saying “but black people also kill black people,” you’re coming in with the same argument that men have when they say “she shouldn’t have worn that skirt, she deserves to be raped”.
23/35

When you walk into black or brown spaces and “suggest” how they can more aptly reach white people on the topic of race you are basically mansplaining, only now it's whitesplaining how people of color should approach their own activism
24/35

When you begin to feel defensive about the conversation of race, demanding explanations, it is like a man walking into a women’s space saying: “Make me feel more comfortable in this moment...
25/35

If you feel yourself dismissing the words or experiences of people of color—because you think they're "overreacting" or because you "didn't know" or because "it has nothing to do with race"—it's often due to your ego, not rationale. Listen and learn, instead.”
26/35

The author goes on about how one can best be an ally. Use what influence you have. Call out racism when you see it. Understand what we mean when we say “privilege exists”. This is something I would like to address.
27/35

“Privilege” does not mean you are automatically born with a silver spoon in your mouth because you are white. We understand that. We know many many white women have not had an easy life.
28/35

What we mean is that in a society where racism is systemic, being white can offer you a leg up. Notice I said “can”. Your voice as a white woman may and often carries more weight than mine.
29/35

Take the #MeToo movement. This movement was initially started by a black woman. Yet when primarily white women in Hollywood started to use that phrase, the movement catapulted to new heights.
30/35

In 2006, Tarana Burke founded the Me Too movement and began using the phrase "Me Too" to raise awareness of the pervasiveness of sexual abuse and assault in society. In 2017 #MeToo went viral as a hashtag after women began using it to tweet about Weinstein.
31/35

It soon became an international movement, but the faces of that movement tended to be white women at the center. Few even mentioned Burke and few even know her name.
32/35

So please know we aren’t calling every white woman a racist. Just as a man can’t know the experiences of a woman; neither can a white woman know the experiences of black and brown women.
33/35

What we want is to be listened to. Not dismissed. We want the term “intersectionality” to be understood that certain women face oppression from several different angles. Thank you.
34/35

Original article:
google.com/amp/s/www.harp…
35/35