I'm so hood *in my T Paine voice* and I’m definitely feminist. This title has caught my eye many times and had been a topic of conversation in some peer circles. I received it as a gift from leaders of the State Policy Fellowship at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
Abstract
Hood Feminism is a first person story of intersectionality written to connect the author's experience with that of Black women and girls across America. The purpose of the book is to give vivid description and social context to the unique U.S. feminism that has failed to serve Black women and girls in the city. It is an indictment on feminism with a warm invitation to connect with Black feminism through our varied experiences at social intersections.
My main takeaways are:
1- City life allows people to overlook issues more effectively than they'd be able to in rural locations.
2- Because women do not experience identity or struggle the same way, some groups of women can oppress others.
3- "feminism can't afford to leave any woman behind- not cis, trans, disables, sex workers, you name it..."
Author: Mikki Kendall
Overview
The book is organized as a series of essays about different topics that impact a Black girl's life in the hood. Her stories move swiftly into adulthood. Each chapter is a new essay that crosses the following topics; racism and colorism, gun violence, food and hunger, self identity and presentation, education, human trafficking, the limits of White feminism, poverty, housing, patriarchy, sexuality, Black maternal health, parenthood and allyship for movement building. Each chapter has a theme, but could not possibly stay on one issue. Her writing style was demonstrative of how intersectional theorists must explain everything; with thoughtful, painstaking detail on how social issues and circumstances affect a person's individual experience.
Highlights & Synthesis
The highlight for me was Kendall's use of data throughout the book. This was a nice example of how we incorporate data to tell a story that is also personal; what I call "data storytelling". I connect to this concept as a sociologist because I exist equally in my left and right brains. I am deeply impacted by personal stories and experiences, but I cannot extrapolate or make inferences about population - even my own - without some data I can believe in. Frequently in the world, I am asked to quantify my experience in data. Knowing that Hood Feminism is now in my toolbox makes me feel more prepared to have any conversation without fear that my emotional self will surmount my need to share data points on demand. This type of writing and use of data in storytelling can be important for other scholars who are committed to translating data across multiple audiences.
Kendall uses the politics of the time to influence her writing. I understand that creative choice, but its pitfall is that it dates the book. Hood Feminism was released after the 2016 election of Donald Trump and released somewhere around the time where Justice Cavanaugh was being confirmed as a Supreme Court Justice. The author had no ability to foresee or critique the clusterfuck that was to come, so their analysis of the current event of 2017 felt modest. That is a challenge with investigative journalism and social critique. That is also probably why the Carter G. Woodsons and Patricia Hill Collins of the world are so revered, because their analysis feels so timeless. I am looking forward to more essays and pieces from Kendall and how they may influence my future writing style.
Yorumlar