Feminism: (noun) the advocacy of women’s rights on the basis of the equality of the sexes.
What seems to be the third, if not the fourth wave of feminism is what we are witnessing before us, yet there still seems to be a gap within this equality that some say they wish for then what they vouch for.
In each wave, there has been one common issue within these groups of empowered individuals; the “white feminist” group. The white feminists believe only in the equality for white, middle-to-high class women with the men, leaving women of color in the shadows and forgotten about as long as they get their fair share.
Now, let me be clear I am not saying or implying that every white woman is a white feminist, because there are thousands of women who want equality for all, not just for some. I, myself, and many of my closest friends want equal opportunities and rights for every single one of us.
However, we see many white women displaying signs of white feminism because we live in a white supremacist society so it is not entirely their fault. Some are taught that our race is a dividing line, categorizing us by importance instead of viewing all of us as women collectively. This supremacy makes it so hard to destroy the concept of white feminism due to the constant reassurance that white is best.
This construct was seen and brought up several times after the result of the 2016 election found that about half of white women voted for Donald Trump although many knew the danger and lack of safety that many of their fellow women of color felt if he were to take office. Women of color felt betrayed and hurt by the women who had march amongst them who they truly believed would not only think of themselves when going to vote that day, that they would think of everyone and sadly, not all did.
As Gloria Steinem would say: “There is no such thing as white feminism. If you call it white, it’s not feminism. It either includes all women, or it’s not feminism.”