By Adwoa Ampofo
I’m not a feminist at least not in the way feminism is usually taught or practiced. And yes, I know how that sounds coming from a cisgender Black woman. Feminism undeniably opened doors that allow me to sit in the rooms I occupy today. But the harder, more uncomfortable question is this: were those doors ever built with Black women in mind?
To answer that, we have to look honestly at history.
Feminism and Its Limits
Mainstream, white‐led feminist movements in the United States have historically focused on gender as a single axis of oppression, often ignoring how race, class, and gender are intertwined. Early feminist
histories centered white women as the face and often the mind of the movement, while sidelining or outright erasing the labor of Black women who were organizing at the same time.
Figures like Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott, associated with the 1848 Seneca Falls Convention, are widely credited with launching the organized women’s rights movement in the U.S.
Earlier thinkers such as Mary Wollstonecraft laid important philosophical groundwork. Feminism is often described in “waves,” with the first wave focused on suffrage and later waves addressing broader social and cultural inequalities.
But while white women were becoming the public face of feminism, Black women were largely excluded from these spaces forced instead to create their own organizations, such as the National
Association of Colored Women (NACW). Their work bridged anti‐racist activism and women’s rights long before the term intersectionality existed.
Black women were not latecomers to feminism; they were foundational to it. Yet their contributions were
consistently marginalized.
Women like Anna Julia Cooper, Mary Church Terrell, and Pauli Murray fought simultaneously against
racism and sexism, often challenging the white‐dominated feminist narratives that failed to account for
Black women lived realities. So yes, those doors were opened. But not equally. And often, not intentionally.
What Is Womanism?
Womanism is a social theory and movement coined by Alice Walker that centers the experiences of
Black women and other women of color experiences that mainstream feminism frequently overlooks.
Walker famously wrote:
“Womanist is to feminist as purple is to lavender.”
That metaphor matters. Womanism is not simply a subset of feminism; it is broader, deeper, and more
culturally grounded. It addresses the interconnected systems of racism, sexism, and classism, while
also honoring Black women’s strength, spirituality, creativity, and survival.
Unlike forms of feminism that prioritize gender alone, womanism is:
● Community‐centered, committed to the wellbeing of Black communities as a whole, including
men, children, and families
● Holistic, concerned with emotional, spiritual, cultural, and material liberation
● Practical, emphasizing mutual aid, dialogue, healing, and collective responsibility
Alice Walker first introduced the term in her 1979 short story Coming Apart and expanded it in In Search
of Our Mothers’ Gardens (1983). Womanism emerged in direct response to a feminist movement that
often failed to make space for Black women’s realities.
Pan‐Africanism and Unity Across the Black Diaspora
Pan‐Africanism is both a political and cultural movement rooted in the belief that African people on the
continent and throughout the diaspora share a common history, struggle, and destiny.
The movement seeks unity among African and Afro‐descended peoples across the Americas, Europe,
and beyond, challenging the divisions created by colonialism, slavery, and white supremacy.
So‐called “diaspora wars” within Black community’s stem from:
● Colonial borders and imposed national identities
● Cultural and linguistic differences
● Colorism and differing racial hierarchies (such as the U.S. one‐drop rule)
● Unequal experiences with racism across regions
Pan‐Africanism argues that these divides are not accidental they are tools of domination.
The movement began in the mid‐19th century with figures such as Martin Delany and Alexander
Crummell, gaining momentum in the early 20th century through leaders like:
● W.E.B. Du Bois, organizer of the Pan‐African Congresses
● Marcus Garvey, advocate of Black nationalism and the Back‐to‐Africa movement
● Kwame Nkrumah, a key leader in African independence and continental unity
● Edward Blyden, often called a father of Pan‐Africanism
At its core, Pan‐Africanism seeks to:
● Challenge Eurocentric worldviews
● Promote Black pride and self‐knowledge
● Resist Western political and economic domination
● Advance self‐determination and collective liberation
Today, Pan‐Africanism continues through institutions like the African Union (AU) and through grassroots
movements focused on global Black solidarity, education, and justice.
Bringing It Together
Womanism and Pan‐Africanism are deeply connected. Both reject narrow frameworks that isolate
oppression into single categories. Both insist on context, history, and community. And both challenge
Black people especially Black women to imagine liberation that is collective rather than individual.