Black Lives Matter and Feminism

Aidan

Black Lives Matter and Feminism

Women's Studies



In today's feminist movement there is a divide in ideals. Black women and white women advocate for different things. For black women movements like "Black Lives Matter" are a subsection of the overall feminist movement-- that white women tend to go around. I think it's fair to assume that it's not a conscious decision, white women didn't as a group decide they didn't care about "Black Lives Matter" (I'm sure plenty do), but it is neglected from there part of the feminist movement. Although I missed Mr Carson's speech, I'm willing to guess it had something to do with 'intersectionality' which he had mentioned before in a speech for Martin Luther King Day. White women may not consider "Black Lives Matter" as a part of the feminist movement because they lack that perspective. For a black woman, a mother especially, "Black Lives Matter" is very important and ought to be included in the feminist movement.

Do I believe "Black Lives Matter" should be considered a part of the feminist movement? I'm not really sure. It's interesting to me because I've actually heard an argument about Black Lives Matter that would seem to refute that it should be a part of the feminist movement. Basically, the concept was that other groups saying things like "Gay Lives Matter" devalues the Black Lives Matter movement: essentially, 'get your own phrase' was the argument. I guess my opinion is that all the grouping gets out of hand: all these things (Black Lives Matter, Feminism, Gay Lives Matter and so on) should be advocated for. Drop all talk about subsections and let them stand alone as their own movement. That way no time is wasted discussing where everything gets sorted... because it doesn't matter! The important is part is that what needs changing gets changed.