“One white woman raised her hand and protested, "Why are we reading about Black people? I thought this was a women's studies class." The professor lost her temper and told her that in case she didn't know, it was a Black woman teaching the class and that Black people can also be women. The white woman started crying and angrily left the class. I was amazed at this white woman's sense of entitlement and privilege, of being able to protest and cry in the classroom.”
—Siobhan Brooks, ”Black Feminism in Everyday Life”
The failure to grasp intersectionality that I think a lot of white feminists (and really people of every type of movement seem to miss)
My Black Feminist Iconic: Motheafuckin' Josephine Baker!
Let’s just go down the list
- told racism and segregation in America to kiss her fantastic ass and left to go get that French money
- made a fortunate shaking her titties in Paris like a real bitch
- was the first black superstar
- reinvented twerking
- saved Paris by spying on the Nazi
- got it in with Frida Kahlo another feminist of color that shit’s on Gloria Steinem’s whole life
- was still active in the Civil Rights movement despite living it up in France. She was even offered a leadership role after Dr. King’s death
- had a castle and a leopard with a diamond collar
- had like 68 husband’s before Elizabeth Taylor made it a thing
- had a rainbow family before Angelina Jolie was even born
“Black scientists and technicians, many of them women, used cells from a black woman to help save the lives of millions of Americans, most of them white. And they did so on the same campus-and at the very same time-that state officials were conducting the infamous Tuskegee syphilis studies.”
—The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks ~ by Rebecca Skloot
We need to file this under facts about American History they don’t teach you in school.
“This is a very complex question, but I believe one of the reasons White women have such difficulty reading Black women's work is because of their reluctance to see Black women as women and different from themselves. To examine Black women's literature effectively requires that we be seen as whole people in our actual complexities - as individuals, as women, as human- rather than as one of those problematic but familiar stereotypes provided in this society in place of genuine images of Black women. And I believe this holds true for the literatures of other women of Color who are not Black. The literatures of all women of Color recreate the textures of our lives, and many White women are heavily invested in ignoring the real differences. For as long as any difference between us means one of us must be inferior, then the recognition of any difference must be fraught with guilt. To allow women of Color to step out of stereotypes is too guilt provoking, for it threatens the complacency of those women who view oppression only in terms of sex.”
— Audre Lorde, “Age Race, Class and Sex: Women Redefining Difference,” 241
“Racism is what happens to Black men. Sexism is what happens to white women. When public discourse occurs about race, gender, sexuality, class, or whether the speed limit should be raised to sixty-five, Black women's opinions generally are not sought.”
—Barbara Smith, “The Truth That Never Hurts: Writing on Race, Gender and Freedom”“Did you ever wonder why so many sisters look so angry? Why we walk like we've got bricks in our bags and will slash and curse you at the drop of a hat? It's because stress is hemmed into our dresses, pressed into our hair, mixed into our perfume and painted on our fingers. Stress from the deferred dreams, the dreams not voiced; stress from always being at the bottom, from never being thought beautiful, from always being taken for granted, taken advantage of; stress from being a black woman in white America. Much of this stress is caused by how the world outside us, relates to us. We cannot control that world, at times we can change it but we can assert agency in our own lives so that the outside world cannot over-determine our responses, cannot make our lives a dumping ground for stress.”
—Opal Palmer Adisa, “Rocking in the Sunlight: Stress and Black Women”Posted Black Feminist Songs
- Adina Howard-Freak Like Me
- Joi-I’m a Woman
- JazzyFatNastees-All Up In My Face
- Estragen-Apani
- Sunshine Anderson-Heard it all before
- Tweet ft. Missy Elliott-Oops (Oh My)
- Bill Withers-Grandma’s Hands
- Missy Elliot ft. Da Brat & Lil Kim-Sock it to me
- TLC-Unpretty
- Bahamadia-Spontaneity
- Jean Grae-Kill Screen
- Eve-She Bad Bad
- Da Brat-All My Bitches
- Erykah Badu-Tyrone
- Patra-Queen of the pack
- TLC-Aint too proud to beg
- Khia-don’t trust no nigga
- Fantasia-free yourself
- blu cantrell-hit em up style(oops!)
- janet jackson-control
- bessie smith-i’m wild about that thing
- Kelis-Bossy
- Whitney Houston-It’s not right but it’s okay
- Jill Scott-Golden
- Four Women(Live)
- Lauryn Hill f. Mary J. Blige-I used to love him
- LL Cool J-Around the way girl
- 2Pac-Dear Mama
- Mia X-Unlady Like
- Karyn White-Superwoman
- Labelle-Going Down Makes Me Shiver
- Labelle-Get you somebody new/lady marmalade
- 2pac-Brenda’s got a baby
- En Vogue-My Lovin(Never Gonna Get It)
- The Supremes-Love Child
- Boyz II Men-A Song for Mama
- The Spinners-Sadie
- Denise LaSalle-Lick it-before ya stick it
- Blanche Calloway-I got what it takes
- Janet Jackson-Control
- Destiny’s Child-???
- Janet Jackson-New Agenda
- Florence Ballard-???
- Nicki Minaj-Click Clack
- Nicki Minaj-Here I Am
- Foxy Brown ft. Mia X & Gangsta Boo-B.W.A.
- MC Lyte-Paper Thin
- Queen Latifah-U.n.i.t.y.
- Salt N Pepa-Do you Really want me?
- Lady-yankin
- Monie Love-Monie in the Middle
- Eve-Love is Blind
- Aretha Franklin-a rose is still a rose
- yo-yo-you can’t play with my yo-yo
- Salt N Pepa-None of your business
- Lil Kim-Queen Bitch
- Salt N Pepa-aint nothing but a she thing
- Azealia Banks-Liquorice
- Missy-She’s a Bitch
- Lil Kim-Big Momma Thing
- Queen Latifah ft. Monie Love-Ladies First
- Trina-Da Baddest Bitch
- Missy Elliot, Lil Kim, Left Eye, Angie Martinez, & Da Brat-Ladies Night
- Salt N Pepa-Let’s Talk about sex
- Missy Elliot-Work it
- Khia-my neck, my back
- freedom rap(black femcees version)
- Dinah Washington-I Don’t Hurt Anymore
- Kelis-Caught Out There
- En Vogue-Free your mind
- missy elliott-I can’t stand da rain
- queen latifah-latifah’s had it up 2 here
- Lady of Rage-Afro Puffs
- Sweetback and Bahamadia-Au Naturale
- Corinne Bailey Rae-Put your records on
- Neneh Cherry-Buffalo Stance
- Les Nubians-Makeda
These are the ones I’ve seen so far. Feel free to add more.
