The Shriver Report – On Feminism and Inclusion: How I Decided What was Right for Me
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On Feminism and Inclusion: How I Decided What was Right for Me
© Pasquale Di Donato /PhotoExpress

© Pasquale Di Donato /PhotoExpress

When someone responds with sarcasm after I explain that I am not a Feminist, I believe it is more than an indication that I am being stereotyped, or judged, but that perhaps the person with whom I am speaking has limited exposure to different narratives of women’s livelihood.

Years ago it became clear to me that my experiences are inextricably linked to narratives, and as a result, priorities that are not shared by others – and there’s nothing wrong with that.  However, what affects one can and will affect others, and to that end, inclusion is paramount in the fight for women’s empowerment.  As Audre Lorde once said most poignantly in her essay, Age, Race, Class, and Sex: Women Redefining Difference, “…the master’s tools will never dismantle the master’s house.”

Like all things well-intended, therein are ugly truths, and American Feminism, is no exception.  Knowing this, I made a choice about how I identify myself as an advocate for the rights of all women, and inclusion (or lack thereof) was foremost in my decision.  Here is what I have learned:

1. Inclusion allows us to interrogate monopolized narratives.  For example, talk of the unequal earnings of 75 cents to every (White) man’s dollar is ubiquitous.  The information that frames this message makes no room to discuss and further explore, the realities that exist for women of color who earn an alarming 68 cents to every White woman’s 75 cents.  Unfortunately, in the conversation and struggle to achieve equal pay for equal work, this reality is largely if not entirely, excluded.  This is just one present-day example of how women of color are not included in the Feminist discourse towards equality, equity, and justice for all.

2. Inclusion shatters all glass ceilings.  The irony of the monopolized narrative that makes the relationship between White women and their earning potential salient, is that despite Black women having the longest record in America’s labor history, equal pay is not a pressing issue Black women face in their fight for not just equality (equal opportunities), but equity (equal outcomes).

A fact sheet produced by The National Cancer Institute at the National Institute of Health in 2008 revealed that the life trajectories of Black women are greatly challenged by the devastating rate at which we die from breast cancer (among other disproportionately represented public health concerns in the Black community).  This fact eliminates the ability for Black women to even be alive to earn 68 cents to every White woman’s 75 cents, illuminating not only an income gap, but a gap in access to healthcare. For Black women (and other women of color), men are not the only gatekeepers of a glass ceiling we wish to shatter, but White women as well are gatekeepers of a glass ceiling all their own.

3. Inclusion not only prepares us for the future, but pays homage to those who came before us.  Inclusion reminds us that Feminism(s) does not exist in a vacuum.  Muslims were the first Feminists.  American Feminism is still aiming to achieve many of the rights bestowed upon Muslim women by the Qur’an, and like any other form of Feminism, with patriarchal nuances abound.  Aside from prohibiting the practice of female infanticide and female genital mutilation, Islam bestows the right of Muslim women, regardless of marital status, to use birth control, thereby paving an unprecedented path for reproductive justice; the right to divorce and contrary to popular belief, the right to choose their spouse; the right to education; to vote; to work; and inheritance.

Lastly, while America has never voted a female President into the Executive Office, Muslim countries have historically elected females to their highest political office, often that of Prime Minister. That which many American Feminists have considered “third wave Feminism (another example of a monopolized narrative)” is in reality, the trailblazer.

4. Inclusion allows for us to be introspective of our privileges, as that to which we have access that is unearned.  I am American, I am heterosexual, I am able-bodied, and I am right-handed.  For the longest time, my rose-colored glasses inhibited my ability to acknowledge that as an American, what I consider a birth right, a person (or a woman more specifically) born in another country may consider an opportunity. Because I am heterosexual, I am a beneficiary of systems designed to oppress those who are LGBTQGNC, which makes me an oppressor, despite my belief and dedicated advocacy to achieving equality and equity for the LGBTQGNC community.

As an able-bodied person, I never have to worry about whether the movie theatre or restaurant to which I want to go has a wheelchair ramp, or brail on their menu.   Previously, I didn’t give these abilities a second thought.  For those who are not American, heterosexual, and/or differently-abled, these are everyday circumstances that engender oppression over attributes in their lives that are completely out of their control.  In line with that reasoning, I do not expect for White women to usurp their white privilege as something presently bestowed to them that they cannot control – that is neither substantive nor possible.  I do however, expect for White women to challenge, activate, and calibrate their white privilege in service of creating inclusive and safe spaces for women of all historically marginalized communities.

Everyone stands to gain from a society whose most vulnerable can achieve equality and equity alongside its privileged, and for this to be achieved, everyone must be included. I am a Womanist and an Islamic Feminist (yes, I chose both!).  When consulting Feminisms, learn about what’s out there to choose what’s right for you and in that process, remember to include the experiences, narratives, and priorities of others in your fight towards a more just and safer world for all women.