Feminism thoughts and discussions Spring 2023

 As a woman it was really empowering to listen to this weeks facilitation and have a discussion on our bodies. Society wants to associate us as just a body meant for the pleasure of men and it's disgusting how nothing has really changed over the last century. The rape and murder rate of women has only increased, and with the overturn of Roe v Wade we have less rights than our mothers and grandmothers. It's times like this that as women we need to stick together and empower one another. All women and all bodies are beautiful. The youtube clip we watched of the play, broke my heart and was so powerful because it reminded me that what women of color face is ten times harder than a white woman. I want to see a future for my little sisters where they don't have to worry about what they look like or their reproductive rights. Where they can feel safe walking outside by themselves. It may seem bleak now, but I want to believe that this future is not too far off.

           This is my second time learning about testimonios, and I still find them to be so beautiful and creative, and insightful. I'm eager to try and make my own that conveys the same feelings I get when I read others.  MY TESTIMONIO Divorce...........................two houses.........................................highschool=two masks.......................Los Angeles living.............bright dreams and dirty streets.....................first heartbreak Learning how to navigate, and find new love>>>>Prozac and a cat. Where are all my friends at? Who am I ?

     The reason we have a separate focus on black feminism is because black women are the lowest paid and last to be thought of when it comes to equal rights and pay. Black women were originally excluded from the earlier feminism movements, until the turn of the century. Intersectionality is linked to black feminism because it is a specific focus on black women and the issues they face not only against white privilege but against the sexism of black men. The earliest known black feminist is Sojourner Truth, and the Bell Hooks at the turn of the century. Black women are at the forefront of change. For example the Black Lives Matter movement was started by black female feminists.  Black women have a different fight than white women and other women of color. This is why it's important to support the black feminists no matter who you are, because as women we have to stick together and support one another. 

Intersectionality was a bit of a confusing topic for me at first, but after discussing it in class I have a better understanding of what it means; even though it's an overlap of so many different areas of a persons life. Though it can affect anyone it hits the BIPOC community the hardest. Especially women of color that have to deal with femininity on top of everything else that intersects. The government wants to put us into boxes and have us define ourselves as one type of person, but we are all so much more than that. And those that come from a mixed family have struggled with who they are their whole lives that society doesn't need to label them. No one needs a label or to be put in a box for an identity is built on a foundation of many things that make up who we are.