Hood Feminism

1. Feminism Must Address Basic Needs and Survival Issues

Food insecurity and access to quality education, safe neighborhoods, a living wage, and medical care are all feminist issues.

Broadening the scope. Mainstream feminism often focuses on increasing privilege for those who already have most of their needs met, rather than helping women access basic necessities. This approach fails to address the realities faced by marginalized women, who are struggling with fundamental survival issues.

Intersectional approach needed. An effective feminist movement must tackle issues like:

• Food insecurity
• Access to quality education
• Safe neighborhoods
• Living wages
• Affordable healthcare

By centering these basic needs, feminism can become more inclusive and relevant to women across all socioeconomic backgrounds.

2. Hunger and Housing Insecurity Are Feminist Concerns

Hunger has a lifelong impact, shaping not only someone's relationship with food but also their health and the health of their community.

Food insecurity's far-reaching effects. Hunger impacts women's physical and mental health, ability to work or study, and capacity to care for families. It shapes entire communities and perpetuates cycles of poverty.

Housing crisis disproportionately impacts women. Rising housing costs and stagnant wages push marginalized women further from stable housing and personal safety. Key issues include:

• Lack of affordable housing options
• Long waitlists for public housing and Section 8 vouchers
• Increased risk of homelessness for survivors of domestic violence
• Gentrification displacing long-term residents in low-income communities

Feminism must advocate for policies addressing food security, affordable housing, and protections for vulnerable tenants.

3. Gun Violence Disproportionately Impacts Marginalized Women

We know that without a home, individual families suffer and fall further into poverty. Yet eviction rates and the price of food continue to rise all while wages remain stagnant, and the cycle gets even harder to navigate.

Intersecting factors of vulnerability. Gun violence affects marginalized women in multiple ways:

• Higher rates of domestic violence involving firearms
• Increased risk of being caught in crossfire in high-crime areas
• Trauma from witnessing violence in their communities
• Economic impacts when breadwinners are killed or incarcerated

Need for comprehensive solutions. Addressing gun violence as a feminist issue requires:

• Advocating for stronger gun control laws
• Supporting community-based violence intervention programs
• Addressing root causes like poverty and lack of opportunities
• Providing trauma-informed care and support for survivors

Feminism must recognize gun violence as a public health crisis that disproportionately affects women of color and low-income communities.

4. Education Systems Often Fail Girls of Color

Missing from discussions of bullying issues in schools is the fact that at least some teachers will be aware of what's happening and will ignore it.

Systemic biases in education. Girls of color face numerous obstacles in the education system:

• Higher rates of disciplinary action and suspensions
• Lack of culturally responsive teaching
• Stereotyping and low expectations from educators
• Limited access to advanced courses and enrichment programs

School-to-prison pipeline. Zero-tolerance policies and increased police presence in schools disproportionately impact students of color, pushing them out of the education system and into the criminal justice system.

Feminist advocacy in education must address these disparities and push for reforms that create safe, supportive learning environments for all students, particularly girls of color.

5. Reproductive Justice Goes Beyond Abortion Rights

Reproductive justice is fundamentally about agency and autonomy.

Comprehensive approach needed. Reproductive justice encompasses a range of issues beyond abortion rights:

• Access to comprehensive sex education
• Affordable contraception
• Quality prenatal and postnatal care
• Support for parents with disabilities
• Addressing forced sterilization and coercion

Intersectional challenges. Marginalized women face unique barriers to reproductive healthcare:

• Lack of culturally competent providers
• Language barriers
• Immigration status concerns
• Discrimination in healthcare settings

Feminism must advocate for policies and practices that ensure all women have the resources and freedom to make informed decisions about their bodies and families.

6. Beauty Standards and Colorism Affect Women's Opportunities

Having darker skin is linked to lower job prospects, difficulty getting promoted into high-level positions, lower marriage rates, higher rates of arrest, and longer prison terms.

Far-reaching impacts of colorism. Beauty standards that prioritize lighter skin and European features create systemic disadvantages for women with darker skin:

• Reduced employment opportunities
• Lower wages
• Harsher treatment in the criminal justice system
• Negative effects on mental health and self-esteem

Internalized oppression. Colorism within communities of color can lead to:

• Tension and division
• Perpetuation of harmful stereotypes
• Pressure to alter appearance through skin bleaching or hair straightening

Feminism must confront beauty standards rooted in white supremacy and advocate for representation and opportunities for women of all skin tones and features.

7. Mainstream Feminism Must Confront Its Own Racism

When white feminism ignores history, ignores that the tears of white women have the power to get Black people killed while insisting that all women are on the same side, it doesn't solve anything.

Acknowledging historical harm. Mainstream feminism has often prioritized the needs and perspectives of white, middle-class women at the expense of women of color. This has led to:

• Exclusion of marginalized voices from leadership roles
• Failure to address issues disproportionately affecting women of color
• Perpetuation of racist stereotypes and harmful narratives

Intersectional approach needed. To be truly inclusive and effective, feminism must:

• Center the voices and experiences of women of color
• Acknowledge and address its own racist history
• Actively work to dismantle white supremacy in all its forms
• Recognize how different forms of oppression intersect and compound

8. The "Strong Black Woman" Stereotype Is Harmful

The myth of the Strong Black Woman has made it so that white women can tell themselves that it is okay to expect us to wait to be equal with them, because they need it more.

Dehumanizing expectations. The "Strong Black Woman" stereotype:

• Denies Black women the full range of human emotions
• Leads to neglect of Black women's mental and physical health needs
• Justifies lack of support and resources for Black women
• Places unrealistic expectations on Black women to endure hardship without complaint

Need for nuanced representation. Feminism must challenge this harmful stereotype by:

• Promoting diverse portrayals of Black women in media and culture
• Advocating for mental health resources tailored to Black women's needs
• Recognizing and valuing Black women's vulnerability and need for support
• Challenging narratives that expect Black women to sacrifice for others' progress

9. Parenting While Marginalized Presents Unique Challenges

For parents in marginalized communities, it's keeping kids out of gangs, out of the crossfire, and out of jail that are paramount concerns.

Survival parenting. Marginalized parents face challenges beyond typical parenting concerns:

• Navigating systemic racism and discrimination
• Protecting children from violence and over-policing
• Balancing work and childcare with limited resources
• Advocating for children's needs in underfunded schools

Judgment and interference. Marginalized parents often face:

• Assumptions of incompetence or neglect based on race or class
• Unwanted interference from well-meaning but misguided outsiders
• Higher risk of involvement with child protective services

Feminism must advocate for policies and support systems that recognize the unique challenges faced by marginalized parents and provide meaningful assistance.

10. Addressing Maternal Mortality Requires Tackling Systemic Racism

Black women are 243 percent more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than white women.

Stark disparities in outcomes. The maternal mortality crisis for Black women persists across socioeconomic lines, pointing to systemic racism in healthcare as a root cause.

Multifaceted approach needed. Addressing this crisis requires:

• Tackling implicit bias in healthcare settings
• Increasing diversity in the medical workforce
• Improving access to quality prenatal and postnatal care
• Addressing social determinants of health like poverty and stress
• Listening to and believing Black women about their health concerns

Feminism must prioritize this issue and advocate for policies and practices that ensure safe, respectful maternal care for all women.

11. White Women's Political Power Often Reinforces Inequality

Despite the expectation that Black or Latinx or Asian voters be treated as a monolith, no one really expects white women to vote as a unified bloc.

Voting patterns reinforce oppression. White women's voting behaviors often prioritize racial privilege over gender solidarity:

• Majority of white women voters supported Trump in 2016 and 2020
• Support for policies that harm marginalized communities
• Failure to consistently support feminist causes

Need for accountability. Feminism must:

• Confront the ways white women benefit from and uphold white supremacy
• Challenge white women to prioritize intersectional feminist goals over racial privilege
• Amplify the voices and leadership of women of color in political organizing

Achieving true gender equality requires white women to recognize their role in perpetuating systemic racism and actively work to dismantle it.

Last updated: January 22, 2025