White feminism should not be the only feminism seen in our world. Many different women exist; therefore, many versions of feminism exist. When reading Audre Lorde’s “The Master’s Tools”, Combahee River Collective’s “A Black Feminist Statement”, and Rhon Manigault-Bryant’s “An Open Letter to White Liberal Feminists”, the idea that multiple versions and conceptions of feminism exist becomes undeniable. Lorde writes that women should revel in differences and use them as a source of power instead of merely tolerating each other. Combahee River Collective writes a thorough manifesto describing that the only group of people who can represent them and provide the voice they need is their collective of black and lesbian feminists. Manigault-Bryant
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Lorde’s ideas for educating others are based on understanding that difference can further women's understanding of each other and bring about harmony. Tolerating and understanding are two grossly dissimilar statements in Lorde’s piece. She explains that tolerating variance in women is a form of shutting down any dialogue of creativity or celebration of difference. Once women can see that their power lies together, and by recognizing that women all have a unique experience in the world, they are able to form interdependent relationships with women who are of a different race, gender, or economic background. Lorde states that, “interdependency between women is the way to a freedom which allows the I to be, not in order to be used, but in order to be creative” (Lorde, 1). This creativity can be shaped by finding ways to help create a universal feminist idea, one that encompasses all backgrounds and desires of varying feminists. However, writer Manigault-Bryant has a different sentiment about the education of white feminists and how it is not the sole duty of the Black feminist to provide the comforting …show more content…
This group is a collective of Black feminists who come from different backgrounds that joined together because they were the best representatives for themselves. Their approach is different than Lorde’s and Manigault-Bryant’s because they clearly and concisely state who they are, what they believe, and the issues that they face with the aforementioned. They believed that the education of others was a political statement claiming, “we feel solidarity with progressive Black men and do not advocate the fractionalization that white women who are separatists demand…white women of course do not need to have [solidarity] with white men…” (Combahee River Collective, 2). They understand that white women do not feel the marginalization they feel as women of color. Therefore, addressing their concerns in this manifesto makes a larger political statement than hoping that white feminists “wake up” or come to the realizations that they cannot speak for all women. The Combahee River collective understood that unity could not be gained because, “the liberation of all oppressed peoples necessitates the destruction of the political-economic systems of capitalism and imperialism as well as patriarchy” (Combahee River Collective, 2). At the time this was written, this was no easy feat. However, it is clear to see that the concerns of this collective
Lorde’s ideas for educating others are based on understanding that difference can further women's understanding of each other and bring about harmony. Tolerating and understanding are two grossly dissimilar statements in Lorde’s piece. She explains that tolerating variance in women is a form of shutting down any dialogue of creativity or celebration of difference. Once women can see that their power lies together, and by recognizing that women all have a unique experience in the world, they are able to form interdependent relationships with women who are of a different race, gender, or economic background. Lorde states that, “interdependency between women is the way to a freedom which allows the I to be, not in order to be used, but in order to be creative” (Lorde, 1). This creativity can be shaped by finding ways to help create a universal feminist idea, one that encompasses all backgrounds and desires of varying feminists. However, writer Manigault-Bryant has a different sentiment about the education of white feminists and how it is not the sole duty of the Black feminist to provide the comforting …show more content…
This group is a collective of Black feminists who come from different backgrounds that joined together because they were the best representatives for themselves. Their approach is different than Lorde’s and Manigault-Bryant’s because they clearly and concisely state who they are, what they believe, and the issues that they face with the aforementioned. They believed that the education of others was a political statement claiming, “we feel solidarity with progressive Black men and do not advocate the fractionalization that white women who are separatists demand…white women of course do not need to have [solidarity] with white men…” (Combahee River Collective, 2). They understand that white women do not feel the marginalization they feel as women of color. Therefore, addressing their concerns in this manifesto makes a larger political statement than hoping that white feminists “wake up” or come to the realizations that they cannot speak for all women. The Combahee River collective understood that unity could not be gained because, “the liberation of all oppressed peoples necessitates the destruction of the political-economic systems of capitalism and imperialism as well as patriarchy” (Combahee River Collective, 2). At the time this was written, this was no easy feat. However, it is clear to see that the concerns of this collective