Radical ANTI-RACIST Feminist

 My heart was broken today to read this response to my zoom gathering "What Will White Womyn Do To End Racism" from a known white womon, a womon who calls me 'friend', a womon who claims she's a radical feminist.

This is what she wrote:

this white woman has done much to end racism against Women of Color. every other man can go fuck themselves. MEN are the problem. ALL men.

women fighting for moc only increases all women's oppression. black men rape and kill women no matter what color they are.

half a billion black women on the african continent are oppressed, raped, murdered bu men of color. what part of this do women; white women especially, NOT understand?!?!!

This is my response:

I’m so sad you have responded to my zoom gathering in this way. It hurts to know you harbor these thoughts and feelings, especially as I know you, we’ve spent time together, and you’ve met my grandchild, one of those Black males you are so viciously stereotyping and hating on.

I hold ALL men accountable - as much as you do - for their sexism, misogyny, violence against womyn and children, as you are well aware. And as all white people who live under patriarchy are racist, all men who live under patriarchy are sexist. 

As committed as white womyn are to abolishing misogyny, we need to be equally committed to abolishing racism. White womyn have such a fantastic opportunity in fact to role model for all men how to take responsibility for the 'ism' that has privileged us and destroyed others, how to recognize and smash that 'ism' and in the process of eliminating racism, how to regain our humanity.

Do you see yourself as a racist? I will point out to you the ways in which I see you as a racist, and for the sake of our friendship, I hope you will seriously consider what I have to say.

I am glad you have seen the need to work to end racism in the past. When you say “this white woman has done much to end racism” I say then you must certainly know how much more this white woman and every white woman has to do if we REALLY want to end racism. Are you not parroting men who, when confronted with a challenge to their sexism, protest they have done much to end sexism but it is women who are the problem, all women, and other men, not them?

Why do you equate white womyn fighting to smash racism with womyn fighting for men of color? Are you advocating racism as a tool to oppress and eliminate men of color? Have you thought white womyn are fighting racism in order to free ourselves from this horrific legacy all white womyn have on our shoulders in order to regain our humanity and that white womyn could be fighting to end racism in order to be able to relate truthfully, fairly, ‘naturally’ with Black and brown womyn? Black and brown womyn who white womyn could be accomplices with in order to fight misogyny if only we are willing and committed to abolishing racism as well? Because Rebecca we bring that weapon of racism into every situation, every relationship, every moment unless we are aware of it and eliminating it. This natural female relating across race lines is what racism perverts and deprives us of, unless white womyn can come to grips with racism.

And Rebecca, how many terrible hurts do you inflict when you parrot the racist agenda of white men, forced down the throats of white womyn, especially southern white womyn, turning ENSLAVED Black men’s image into violent, raping of white women monsters to fear and to justifying enslaving, murdering and lynching.

You do know that lynching involved castrating Black men and raping Black womyn – by WHITE ‘PEOPLE’ – both men and women.

You do know that there is little truth in saying Black men rape all womyn. The statistical truth is that Black men who rape tend to rape BLACK womyn; brown men who rape tend to rape BROWN womyn. The truth is that it is WHITE MEN who rape ALL womyn. In other words, if you are truly afraid of men who rape, you are much more likely to be raped by a white man than a Black or brown man. Period. Furthermore, white womyn who are raped by white men usually do not turn that into hatred of all white men as they do if raped by a man of color.

Another way racism rears its ugly head in your words is your turning your attention and eyes to the continent of Africa, avoiding dealing with what is happening right here, right now, in our own country. Not just this avoidance is racist, but also your statement about the womyn of Africa is racist in its omission of the fact that white men have terrorized, raped, tortured, murdered, and looted across the whole continent of Africa for over 600 years. And that the Indigenous people of Africa are not only still reeling from that heinous assault but also from the continued present-day occupation and looting of their countries. The fact that you are totally ignoring and omitting this egregious fact separates you at best, makes you part of their oppression and suffering at worst, from the womyn of that continent.

That all said Rebecca, I hope you decide to come onto the zoom gathering – as you have expressed your willingness to discuss racism – so we can continue this discussion and further our understanding and actions.

For we cannot be truly ‘radical’ or ‘feminist’ unless we are also anti-racist.