In reading the various articles, particularly "Mothers of Our Nations," I was able to see just how universal the struggle of feminism is. In studying black feminism, we learned of their dissatisfaction with "white feminism" because they felt it was not inclusive of their issues as black women, specifically race. However, having learned how Chicana and Asian Pacific American women have created their own version of feminism, I realize that in the same manner black women were excluded from European feminism, we too exclude other ethnic groups. Throughout the readings, I noted key ideas and points which I think would be useful in the creation of a universal feminism.
1. There is no proper place for [women] except the world as a whole. There is no one place for [women] - just the world as a whole.
2. It is important for each of us to know what it means to be a woman in our society, to know the historical and psychological thoughts that have shaped and are shaping our thoughts, which in turn determine the directions of our lives.
3. My ethnicity cannot be separated from my feminism.
4. What is personal to me is political.
5. The whole category of woman may also need to be problematized.
6. "Consciousness-raising" was the feminist method.
7. The acknowledgment of diversity among women while positing that women recognize their unity.
8. Feminism is the political theory and practice to free all women.
9. To be oppressed means to be disenabled not only from grasping an "identity," but also from reclaiming it.
10. Women have the right of self-determination, to determine our own destiny and that of our future generations.
Although obviously everyone and every group has its own unique struggles, I believe there is much more common ground than acknowledged which, if recognized, could create a women's movement capable of restructuring the world.
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I totally agree with the statement on bullet point number 2. Its kind of like the belief that you don't know where you're going until you know where you've been. I think that one of the reasons it is so hard to reach young Black women is because they don't realize that eventhough now its considered sexy to shake your ass in a music video, there was a time when we were being exploited to do the same thing without our permission. Black female bodies have been exploited and objecitfied from the beginning of time. Corinne Stephans didn't start a trend, she's just getting paid for it; Sara Bartman was doing it over 400 years ago!!! And she was forced into it and died because of it!
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