Review: Hood Feminism: Notes from the Women White Feminists Forgot

Hood Feminism: Notes from the Women White Feminists Forgot by Mikki Kendall
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

An intelligent, insightful read.

It made me more aware of my own ignorance as a white female living in Australia - so many of these things I hadn't even considered - and it made me feel a little ashamed, to be honest.

That being said, the point of this book is not to shame, but to educate. She talks about issues that feminism supposedly tackles and then describes how badly feminism is missing the mark when it comes to women of colour. Apparently racism is more powerful than misogyny. I'm very vocal when it comes to women standing up for women, particularly when it comes to sexual violence, so when I encountered this particular quote regarding rape culture, I was horrified:

When you can't count on solidarity for women in danger, when bystander intervention isn't a solution because white female bystanders may feel that a Black woman's plight doesn't deserve their attention because race has a more powerful effect than gender, then we aren't really battling rape culture.

The scariest part was that, as disgusting as the idea of that is to me, I had to take the time and make sure I wouldn't be someone who stood back. I want to make sure that I don't have any of these subconscious racist notions myself. (I do feel confident that I would help someone in trouble, no matter the colour of their skin. I truly hope so.)

That's such a big part of why this book was so powerful to me. Because so many of these things I hadn't even considered, because my white privilege has kept me safe. I have a home, a family I can rely on, a steady job, and an income that allows me basic needs as well as some things I want. I'm not afraid to walk around the neighbourhood, or hang out in parks, and if I'm really in trouble I'm confident that law enforcement will help. I'm not afraid of being incarcerated for making a mistake, and no one has ever implied that I will be unfit to raise children when the time comes. All of these things I have taken for granted, and if you have too I encourage you to read this book.

This book is begging for accomplices - not just allies. It's not enough to send thoughts and prayers. It's not enough to 'hope things work out'. This book asks us to stop putting the responsibility on the marginalised groups to stand up for themselves and make our own efforts to change how they're treated. They need allies in positions of power to be moved by their plight - to understand that supporting women of colour won't cost them their white privilege - and then actually make changes for the better. They need action from those of us who have had the fortune to be born white.

I've honestly never felt so powerless. I wish I was in a position to do more.

But wishes aren't enough, either, so in the absence of that I intend to educate myself as best I can, and this book was a great introduction. It covers a lot of important subjects in a calm, rational and educated manner. There's even a little humour, and the author uses anecdotes from her own life to help demonstrate the issues.

My only complaint really is that it was too intelligent for me - I could have used a glossary because there are so many terms in here that I'd never heard of before. However that does also highlight once again how naive I was before I picked up this book.

If you're looking to educate yourself on real issues that Black women face, this is a really good starting point because it covers things so comprehensively. Some of it is quite heavy reading, and you may need a dictionary on hand for some of the terms, but it's well worth the time.

I'm grateful to find books like this that can help me learn, and grow, and further understand the struggles of others.

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