Introduction
Racism is based on the idea that individuals might be split into distinct groups on the basis of the superiority of a single group over another and their racial origins. Prejudice, discrimination, and hostility against people of a distinct ethnicity or race are examples of racial discrimination. Social conceptions of biological distinctions between peoples are frequently at the root of modern forms of racism. Discrimination between races is based on the assumption that people of various ethnicities have a set of inherent characteristics, talents, or qualities, which may be passed down via genetics.
Attempts to legitimate racist attitudes using scientific methods have been decisively disproved. Feminism is the belief that all people, regardless of gender, should have equal access to resources and opportunities (Back et al. 20). To enable all women to exercise their rights fully, there is need to accept their various experiences, identities, expertise, and strengths. It is about ensuring that all women and girls, regardless of gender, have the same possibilities in life as men and boys (Back et al. 20). Equal rights for women and men are the goals of feminists, not female dominance. Feminists think that people should not be judged unfairly because of their gender. Everyone has the right to choose their own sexual choices, including when, how, and with whom they engage in sexual activity.
The intersectional theory examines how sexism and racism affect women in the West and how these two issues are interconnected. Non-white women have faced racism in the Western feminist movement, which purposes to eliminate gender based discrimination. Furthermore, these women have also experienced sexism in antiracism and civil rights activities. The persistent racism and sexism have particularly hard hit women of African, Mexican, Native American and other Asian heritage in the United States. This underscores the need for a political movement recognizing the interplay between racial and gender oppression (Bannerji and Himani 200). They have been barred from fully participating in these movements. Still, they have also contributed to distinct kinds of feminism, such as Black feminist theory and multiracial feminist theory that actively struggle against gender oppression and race oppression. This paper will analyze the aspect of racism being a feminist issue.
Overview of Racism
There are various ways racism manifests itself, including racially insensitive jokes, verbal abuse, harassment, and online criticism that inflames hate against particular populations. Racism may lead to physical assault and violence at its worst. Those discriminated against based on their race may be denied access to services or be prevented from engaging in activities such as work, education, sports, and other forms of recreation (Bannerji and Himani 199). Policies, situations, or behaviors that disfavor specific groups can also happen at an institutional or systemic level. Unconscious bias and prejudice are common manifestations of racism. Racism helps maintain racial and ethnic disparities in access to power, resources, and opportunities (Bannerji and Himani 199). Some of these inequities are justified by the idea that a particular race or ethnicity is better or worse than others.
Racism happens in many ways and in multiple locales. Bias, discrimination, and hostility based on ethnicity, national origin or race, are some illustrations of racism. Too many people, racial discrimination is usually related with harassment or violence acts. However, that does not imply it should be done scarily or aggressively. Consider the use of racial epithets and jokes. People might be omitted from organizations or doings due to their origin which is another option. The attitudes and behavior of people may be a reflection of racism. However, this is not always the case (Bauman and Zygmunt 290). Individuals with specific surnames could, for instance, not be interviewed for a job due to this. The words and actions of an individual are not enough to constitute racism. It includes everything that inhibits the way of people being treated equally and respectfully due to their race.
Overview of Feminism
Feminism is a belief in the equality of the sexes in all aspects of society, including political and economic ones. Every day, women encounter systematic disadvantages that feminism seeks to address. False to widespread assumption, women’s rights do not foster sexism towards either men or women, as is often believed. Equal rights for women and men are the goals of feminists, not female dominance. Feminists think that people should not be judged unfairly because of their gender. Everyone has the right to choose their own sexual choices, including when, how, and with whom they engage in sexual activity (Benhabib and Seyla 160). As far as feminism is concerned, there is a wide range of groups: girly feminists, feminists of the third wave and feminists of pro-sex. Women and men encounter a variety of forms of prejudice from these groups. While progress has been made toward gender equality, feminists urge the public to be aware of the disparities between how men and women are treated.
At its foundation, feminist beliefs and theories aim to provide women equal access to society’s social, political, and economic spheres. Feminism’s ultimate goal is to establish equality for women since prioritizing those most oppressed frees everyone else. Feminism does not want to aid males since their rights have already been established and institutionally maintained. Feminist ideals emphasize the differences between the cultural experiences of women and men. Scholars of gender equality research the inequalities women and men face (Coe and Imogen 493). The feminist theory examines how culture may and should be gender-specific: Does each sex have a separate set of ideas, ambitions, and aspirations in life? Getting from point A (the status quo) to point B (the equality of women) requires a strong commitment to changing one’s behavior and taking concrete steps toward that goal.
The Connection between Feminism and Racism
When it comes to an understanding of the distinctive experiences of Western women from non-European origins, the intersectional theory holds that racial identity must be considered together with gender identity. According to inter-sectionalist, oppression cannot come from a single source since identities are combined (Elomäki et al. 350). Discrimination experienced by Black women and many other women of color may be linked to various factors, including their ethnicity, gender, or a mix of the two (Elomäki et al. 350). As a result, this exclusion is worse than both racism and sexism. It is important to note that, although white women and men of color may be less conscious based on their own identities, women of color are fully aware of numerous types of marginalization.
Among the many kinds of oppression that black women face, there is the threat of discrimination based on their color, gender, and social status. “Double jeopardy,” as originally conceived, only refers to racial and gender discrimination. But multiple perils emphasize the multiplicative aspect of oppression. Using multiple jeopardies enables certain types of oppression to be more or less prominent depending on the setting. Racism is more of a concern for women of color in the feminist movement because it distinguishes them from other women and faces more racial discrimination than other women (Federici and Silvia). A lack of unity among feminists is exacerbated by institutional systems that encourage and reinforce the power inequalities between women. Many women have recognized the types of oppression they encounter thanks to the feminist notion of experience as a guide to theory.
What Makes Racism a Feminist Issue?
Feminists are usually committed to ending gender-based discrimination and racism. Through their work, they battle the hurdles to justice and equality enacted by structural racism, especially those that cause a double affliction of sex and racial discrimination on girls and women, together with trans-women. They understand that racial justice is a feminist problem and that their advocacy must be antiracist to achieve equality in all areas, including work, education, and reproductive rights (Jacobs and Fayola 30). Black women and girls (including trans-women) have been held to unequal standards and undervalued for too long. Feminists are devoted to ensuring that historically marginalized groups of color can participate at every level in a vibrant and free civil society (Jacobs and Fayola 30). As long as the unjust system takes lives, feminists will continue to raise their voices in protest.
Feminists not only fight for women’s rights, but also other forms of discrimination. Fighting against oppression and sexism is what feminism is all about; it is a movement that affects all of us. Feminists term it rape when middle school guys have sex with their teachers (Keskinen and Suvi). Boys started to hear messages from feminist theorists about how being friendly and loving is not a sign of weakness and that “manning up” does not imply resorting to physical violence (Keskinen and Suvi). Feminist concerns are at stake here. Even if they do not identify as feminists, the multiple women and men who speak up on these problems are feminists.
White, wealthy, cisgender heterosexual women often come to mind when the term “feminist” is used casually. This stereotype of the feminists is rapidly eroding. The idea that a woman should appear a sure way to be considered a feminist perpetuates a false narrative about what feminists support. The goal of feminism is to achieve gender equality (Levchak et al.). It does not matter what equality looks like to other people, but it matters to them. Fighting for racial equality is an essential part of this struggle for many people of color and others. There are so many individuals performing feminist work that they are not given the credit they deserve because people perceive them as a two-dimensional idea that only encompasses one viewpoint.
Antiracism Denotes True Feminism
“The most defenseless person in America is the Black Woman,” Malcolm X famously said in his early 1960s writings. The Black lady is the most undervalued individual in the United States.” Black women have always been at the crossroads of two systems of oppression: patriarchy and white supremacy, and this is still true today. Many black women are inferior to their white counterparts (Nash and Jennifer). From not being able to vote, participate in politics, or get an education, to not being taken seriously when harassed or assaulted, everyone has experienced the same oppressions. As long as anti-Black racism has existed, black women have been beaten, murdered, and subjected to other forms of discrimination because of their race (Nash and Jennifer). For a long time, the story of justice has not included any Black women. The feminist movement has contributed to the maintenance of the white supremacist system by excluding the particular difficulties faced by Black women. All women’s liberty, independence, and rights depend on feminism providing a haven for African-American women’s lived experiences and reality.
The Significance of Antiracism as Part of Modern Feminism
Working on one’s racism is an essential first step in becoming an active and inclusive feminist. White women must acknowledge that their Black sisters have experienced a double amount of their persecution. White supremacy and patriarchy are intertwined (O’Reilly and Kevin). When people attack white supremacy as the root of all other forms of oppression, then and only then will they begin to see a fundamental shift in the system. Gender and ethnicity and all the different categories by which power structures are sustained can no longer decide the fate of a person’s life if individuals do not re-establish the society in this manner.
Women of color’s needs are often overlooked or assumed to be identical to those of white women in mainstream feminist theory. It has led to a situation where White women speak for all women as if it is a one-size-fits-all situation. However, this is not the case. The concept of “sisterhood” within the feminist movement was also based on the needs of white women in the middle-class, much like the reproductive justice movement. Because of this, it is not unexpected that, despite the existence of Black, Indigenous, Mexican, and Asian feminists, their platforms and voices are frequently neglected and silenced in favor of white women’s platforms (Phipps and Alison). Only white women’s experiences of gender oppression are taken into account when discussing both gender and racial oppression. Men of color generally tell the stories of racial oppression and struggle, which leaves out women of color’s unique perspectives.
Women of color, particularly black women, are not only informed that they are inferior genders but also that they are inferior races. White women’s experiences of oppression are distinct from those of women of color. There is no comparison since the inter-sectionalism of their identities adds up to a total bigger than the oppression of any one source (Reeves and Courtney). Race, gender, class, or all three might be blamed for these instances of discrimination. They are also conscious that they are being marginalized in ways that do not affect white women or other men of color, and they are doing their best to fight back.
The antiracism movement has been significantly more active in society and politics than the feminist movement has been. Fighting for femininity that had been denied to them as enslaved people, black women played an essential role in America’s abolitionist campaign. Black women ran the civil rights movement from behind the scenes, collecting cash, forming community and grassroots groups, and rallying supporters (Ringrose and Jessica 650). As a result of their work as antiracism activists, they were able to solidify their positions in the fight against gender inequality. In contrast to the sometimes discriminatory views on gender norms and equality held by males, the work done by these Black women in the civil rights struggle has been overlooked and forgotten about.
Feminism as an Antiracist Movement
Since racism and gender oppression go hand in hand, feminism must be an antiracist movement to address this issue head-on. White women have, indeed, suffered discrimination. For women of color, the prejudice and abuse they encounter are more than doubled and quadrupled compared to their white counterparts. All women’s liberation will be possible if individuals can liberate Black women, end patriarchy, and end white supremacy. A shift in other forms of oppression can only come about by addressing the underlying causes of white supremacy and systems of violence that favor white men (Roberts et al. 475). The political act of creating platforms of antiracist feminists and associations for affected individuals as “others” opens room for drastic new agendas. Still, it is also about constructing societies of belonging where people may receive and contribute assistance.
Feminism and antiracism are inextricably linked in the feminist thinking of those labelled as “others.” Questions of sexual orientation are seen as deeply connected with racism and antiracism. Many activists believed that one required a group that treated queer, antiracist and feminist issues as the complex structures as well as procedures they perceived to become involved in the action (Varghese et al. 10). The emergence of queer spaces and independent antiracist feminist is a product of coalitional politics and a continuous procedure or experiment. People and groups are not only discriminated in various ways based on their ethnicity, religious belief and geographical location, but the socioeconomic structure, educational attainment and normative ideologies all have an impact on the experiences people have and the power they have. Many of the antiracist feminist organizations investigated let members decide who was radicalized as “other” and who wasn’t. Black and Brown bodies’ varied positioning in the activist organizations were a part of continuing conversations about power relations and colorism.
Social justice movements led by those who identify as white are less likely to have linkages to those who identify as minorities, such as Brown and Black people. Survival and love politics seem to be particularly hard to establish common ground with organizations that are dominated by the white people. Still, social justice politics appear to be simpler to create (at least impermanent) alliances based on similar campaigns and goals. Due to widespread color blindness and denials of racism, separatist organizing may be a helpful strategy for bringing racial issues to the forefront of political discourse (Waldby and Catherine 20). To disrupt the hegemony of whiteness and force other political actors to consider the daily experiences of individuals radicalized as non-white, it is necessary to enter places that are dominated by the white people as an outspokenly Brown or Black activist. Organizing in a separatist manner may also serve strategic purposes. It allows for a narrowing of emphasis and forming alliances across divisions to address particular concerns.
Some antiracist feminist organizations have attempted to build broad coalitions of antiracist feminists from various backgrounds. People of all races and ethnicities are welcome, not only those labelled as “others” because of their race (Westwood and Sallie 175). To enable solidarity and mobilization for non-personal conflicts, such as those of others, such an organization aims is to build a foundation for a common politics of struggle. Antiracism and gender equality are essential components of such politics.
Intersectional Feminism and its Significance
There have been several demonstrations against racism and prejudice worldwide in response to the COVID-19 situation, demonstrating that there is still a long way from reaching equality. Trying to make sense of and fight a slew of injustices at this moment may be too much to bear (Williams et al., 120). How and why should people tackle these issues? It is possible to better understand one another and work towards a more equitable future using the intersectional feminist lens. Using an intersectional perspective, it is possible to see how people’s social identities overlap, resulting in compounded experiences of discrimination. To understand the depths of inequity and the links between them in every given setting, intersectional feminism centers on the voices of individuals who experience overlapping, contemporary forms of oppression. Observing a problem via an intersectional lens also requires understanding its historical background.
A long history of violence and systematic discrimination has led to fundamental disparities that disadvantage some. Poverty, caste structures, racism, and sexism, for example, are intertwined and deprive individuals of their basic human rights and opportunities (Westwood and Sallie 176). There is a long-term effect. They are also the most vulnerable to gender-based violence: women of color, women of indigenous descent; women in rural regions; young girls with disabilities; transgender, and gender non-conforming youngsters, among others.
Intersectional feminism reveals the interconnectedness of all struggles for justice and freedom. It tells us that working for equality entails not merely turning the tables on gender inequalities but rooting out all types of oppression. It may be used as a framework to establish broad, strong movements that address various kinds of prejudice at the same time. Individuals may utilize an intersectional feminist lens better to grasp the interconnections between today’s global issues as they emerge. Because the effects of crises are not uniform, people need intersectional feminism now more than ever (Roberts et al. 475). Multiple, interrelated dangers confront countries and people all around the globe. These new challenges magnified pre-existing needs, such as shelter, food, education, care, job, and protection. However, in times of crisis, the most vulnerable are often left unprotected. In a crisis, your demands will not be met if you remain invisible in daily life.
The coronavirus epidemic has magnified longstanding disparities and discriminatory behaviors, resulting in uneven outcomes. Unifying our efforts by including the experiences and concerns of diverse groups instead of fragmenting them has a unifying impact; people are better equipped to comprehend the issues at hand and so create solutions that work for everybody. Tolerating injustices should not go unchecked or ignored. It is possible to recognize the interconnectedness of many situations by looking at them from an intersectional feminist perspective.
A future in which no one is left behind can be built only by standing together, challenging power systems and speaking out against their core causes. However, a new ‘normal’ must be equitable to all parties involved. The fundamental disparities that determine our lives are revealed when crises occur (Ringrose et al. 654). This is also a time of tremendous resets – a catalyst for the reconstruction of societies that provide justice and security for everyone. Instead of returning to business as usual, they offer a new definition of what is considered normal. Our current difficulties provide us with a chance to construct back better, stronger, more resilient, and egalitarian societies.
What is the Purpose of Combating Racism?
A robust labor movement has always been hindered by racism, which is one of the biggest global problems. Racism has a negative impact on society, not only on people who suffer from it. It breeds distrust among people and rips the social fabric apart. Racism and xenophobia are infectious killers, much as COVID-19. There is need to unite and continue fighting for the greater good with conviction and a sense of urgency. To stop police violence, all people should be afforded the same legal protection. There can be no tolerance for criminals getting away with anything (Reeves and Courtney). People of color are affected by institutional racism, and African Americans are particularly vulnerable to economic and social oppression and exploitation. African-Americans are expected to be unemployed, underpaid, and in terrible operation settings than their white counterparts.
More African Americans die from sickness, police violence, accidents, and homicide than white counterparts. African Americans are three times more likely to become inmates once arrested and serve lengthier sentences. A capitalist system that causes these inequalities is blamed by racists and white supremacists rather than the victims. It is more common for people of color — particularly African Americans — to be pulled over and searched by the police. It is disgusting that the cops have murdered so many individuals of color. Individual racist police officers are not to blame for this, but rather a pervasive and systemic disregard for people of color’s lives.
Recommendations to End Racism
Every one of us can stand up against racism and other forms of discrimination daily. Racism and prejudice must be eliminated to create a society where everyone has equal access to their human rights. Racism is a worldwide issue that needs a coordinated response from every nation. One way to progress against racism, discrimination and spread a culture of peace is to form multi-stakeholder coalitions of people from various backgrounds and work together to build a worldwide strategy that includes all relevant stakeholders. Secondly, it is essential to establish and monitor evidence-based social policies and programs. National and regional observatories might be brought together in a worldwide effort to gather, analyze, and communicate relevant qualitative data, good practices, and narratives to combat racism. This will help to eradicate associated intolerance effectively, with specific regard to the history of slavery and colonialism. Thirdly, through reforming education and promoting global citizenship via creative initiatives, critical discussions, and awareness-raising.
The first stage in the curriculum revision process is acknowledging racism and other forms of prejudice. Slavery’s legacy must be examined, and the opinions of indigenous peoples and other groups who have been subjected to racism and bias must be considered. Diversity and tolerance training for pupils and education for instructors, parents, and students should be included in the curriculum. Fourth is by making information more accessible to those in remote and underserved places. The international community should make knowledge more widely available by creating online resources aimed at both children and adults, which would help students and adults learn more effectively and give local communities more power. To build truly inclusive and sustainable societies, the international community must create an enabling environment for gender equality and women’s leadership in all sectors and industries.
Conclusion
In conclusion, this paper has discussed racism as a feminist issue. Feminism has developed a variety of political movements, including those for survival, societal justice, and innovative love—all of which have distinct vantage points from which to build coalitions. Antiracist feminism itself is a coalition-building movement, bringing together activists of diverse races, classes, and origins and those who identify as transgender, gay, or lesbian. How mainstream feminism reacts to the new political antiracist feminism subjects is an essential query in terms of the politics of unity.
Future feminist politics must address the gaps in resources and power, along with critical questions about investments in “white feminist smugness.” The practice will aim at establishing feminist solidarity embedded in daily struggles besides the intersectional politics’ dirty labor. The antiracist feminism has the capability to offer prospects for broader coalitions and social justice movements. However, this requires proper financing and support by all concerned parties in every sector. Although to realize the desired change might seem to be difficult, the expected change benefits will act as a motivating tool. Many contemporary social processes and trends may be analyzed via an antiracist feminist lens. Still, neo-liberalization and race capitalism have not been at the top of the antiracist feminist agenda.
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