I Am a Womanist


 
I found that some of the things Natalie said in her blog post titled “Running with Patriarchy” were very relevant to the readings for today. One line she said in particular was “power will decide fate.” I found this to be very important especially when talking about gentrification. I learned from both Taigi Smith and Cherise Charleswell that gentrification is essentially when the rich man buys out the poor. It’s when neighborhoods are remodeled so that it would appeal more to the upper class and make it difficult for the lower class to stay in the neighborhood. In this case the higher class of whites have power deciding what would happen to the lower class.

As Charleswell goes on in her article titled “Gentrification is a Feminist Issue…” she explains how gentrification is based on “systematic displacement.” In the article by Smith she relates to this idea of displacement explaining how she was forced out of her neighborhood because it was no longer affordable to live there. Basically, she was being forced out of her home. I personally never went through an experience similar to that but I can just imagine the terror I would feel.

One main point that I really liked from Taigi Smith’s article was that she believes herself to be a womanist. I like that term because while learning more about feminism and the history of women’s rights in a feminist class I am beginning to notice that it mostly discusses the affairs of white women. So, when she mentions the idea of womanism and explains the idea behind the it I can agree and identify as a womanist. Womanism is a term that was coined up for women of color, more specifically for women of color. Alice Walker actually created the word in her book “The Color Purple” since the actual history behind the word feminism was created for the white middle class.
 
 
-Tatiana F.
 

Comments

  1. UnknownSeptember 27, 2017 at 7:32 AM

    I am a self-proclaimed feminist, but before this class, I was blissfully ignorant about the discrimination of the feminist movement both in the past, and even today. As a white woman, my 'privilege' allowed me to overlook these issues in a movement that I had been so proud to stand behind. This class has most definitely opened my eyes to the fact that feminism is not a term that represents the striving for equality for all like I had originally imagined. I really enjoy your quote from the color purple and your explanation of why you identify as a womanist. I am glad to be able to learn more about feminism, so I can be a part of helping the movement become more inclusive.

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