Interaction Institute for Social Change Blog

Thanks for bringing out these important voices. In my politically formative years, I remember clearly being challenged to choose between being an advocate for black people (considered the only “right answer” in my circle) and being an advocate for women (considered a move to ally myself with middle class white feminists and therefore no longer relevant to black people). We were still dealing with the aftermath of Moynihan’s “black matriarchy” construct and the need to construct strong male roles and images. The only “legitimate” women’s issue we engaged in those days was the feminization of poverty, which was something the brothers could get behind. There was no discussion of sexism or reflexive gender roles within the movement. Now is as good a time as any to open up the conversation!