Book Review

Hood Feminism by Mikki Kendall

A

Genre: Nonfiction

I’ve been following Mikki Kendall for years on Twitter and appreciated all the knowledge she’s shared for free on that hellscape of a platform. So I was more than a little excited when Hood Feminism dropped earlier this year. Because I’ve been following her for so long, I don’t know that any of the concepts in it were entirely new for me, but I learned a lot because of the time and attention given to each one. I realized at one point that I was highlighting so much it was getting absurd. I’m not exaggerating when I say that I probably highlighted a solid 25-30% of this book. Frankly, you can stop reading this review and skip to the buy link, because the TL;DR of this review is that I cannot recommend Hood Feminism enough.

Its subtitle is “Notes from the Women That a Movement Forgot,” which sets up this collection of 18 essays perfectly. The essays cover topics like food insecurity, how Black women are stereotyped and represented in the media, access to quality medical care, gun violence, and reproductive justice. While each essay offers information to help us better understand these issues, together they add up a damning takedown of White feminism. The evidence overwhelmingly demonstrates that White feminism is about getting more power and influence for White women (in particular, those who are also straight, cisgender, middle-class, and able-bodied), rather than helping all women—especially Black women—out of oppression and into the same level of privilege and power that White women have. Because, as the book says, “A better deal for white women could not be, would not be, the road to freedom for Black women.”

No one could read Hood Feminism without feeling that famous line from Flavia Dzodan, “MY FEMINISM WILL BE INTERSECTIONAL OR IT WILL BE BULLSHIT!” in their soul (unless, of course, they’re so invested in White feminism that they’re all about maintaining the status quo). I know some of you might be wondering what “intersectional” means. Good news! There’s a quick definition for that in the book: “Professor Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw, […] coined the term to describe the way race and gender impact Black women in the justice system.” The idea is that the many parts of identity (e.g. race, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, religion, ability, etc) intersect and impact how a person experiences discrimination, so they can’t be looked at in isolation. If that still doesn’t make sense, please watch Professor Crenshaw’s TED Talk, The Urgency of Intersectionality, because she lays it out with examples. I want to give a content warning for the video because she talks a lot about police violence towards Black women and shows video footage, but please don’t look away if you can because this is such an important topic.

From the first page to the last, Hood Feminism was constructed to make us look at the social problems facing Black communities. Like, REALLY look at them so we can start to fix them, rather than gloss over them as we reach for the next glass ceiling we want to shatter, expecting all other women to fall in line with us (yes, I’m speaking directly to my fellow White women here). In fact, in the first chapter, “Solidarity is Still for White Women,” Kendall addresses the harm and inefficacy of White feminists’ expectations that everyone conform to their ideals and goals:

“A one-size-fits-all approach to feminism is damaging, because it alienates the very people it is supposed to serve, without ever managing to support them.”

I don’t recommend speeding through Hood Feminism, unless you plan to come back to the beginning and read it again more thoroughly. It took me a couple of months to get through all of the essays, because I found myself putting the book down to digest at the end of each one and sometimes in the middle of them. That’s both because of the amount of information in them and the way that information is conveyed. We’re warned in the introduction that Hood Feminism won’t be a comfortable read and that is exactly right, because no punches are pulled. For example, Kendall says early on:

I am a strong person; I am a flawed person. What I am not is superhuman. Nor am I a Strong Black Woman™. No one can live up to the standards set by racist stereotypes like this that position Black women as so strong they don’t need help, protection, care, or concern. Such stereotypes leave little to no room for real Black women with real problems. In fact, even the most “positive” tropes about women of color are harmful precisely because they dehumanize us and erase the damage that can be done to us by those who might mean well, but whose actions show that they don’t actually respect us or our right to self-determine what happens on our behalf.

This was one of many “oh shit” moments I had, where I was knocked back by both the message and how it was delivered. I had heard before that the idea of the “Strong Black Woman” is damaging and this succinctly summarized all the reasons why that’s true.

I could go on at length about each of the essays, because they’re all written with the same crisp style that prioritizes truth-telling over coddling readers. Instead, I want to turn to the conclusion, which invites readers to consider an important question: do we want to merely be allies or do we want to be accomplices? Because allies can be problematic. They often centre their declared allyship over the people they’re supposed to be standing beside. For example, a White feminist might ask Black feminists to educate her on the issues that are impacting them, while demanding they stay calm and civil so she can take in what they’re saying. Accomplices, on the other hand, set aside their egos, challenge White supremacy, and actually get their hands dirty by doing the work that Black people are asking them to do. Because, as Kendall says, “Accomplices do not just talk about bigotry; they do something about it.” In the weeks since finishing this book, I’ve been spending a lot of time thinking about and seeking ways to be an accomplice for my Black colleagues and friends, because I can’t be content with allyship any longer.

This book is an incredible resource that’s already helped me in my conversations since reading it. If anyone is looking for a way to step up their conversations about race, taking them beyond surface level, I highly recommend it. It will equip you with a better understanding of the various systems of oppression currently in place so you’ll not only be able to say “that’s racist,” you’ll also understand and be able to explain why, and do the work of being an accomplice.

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Hood Feminism by Mikki Kendall

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  1. Qualisign says:

    Thank you so much for bringing this book to our attention. Intersectionality is so important and yet so often pared down to one or two issues. Binarity (white/black, male/female, rich/poor, etc.) is so much easier to deal with than intersectionality to the detriment of everyone, but that’s about as far as many (most?) have been willing or able to process. Your thoughtful review and the selections from the book were excellent. It will be a one click for me!

  2. Darlynne says:

    Accomplices. You/the author are right, that’s what I need to be. So much has been laid bare, only willful blindness could explain how someone can’t see this. Thank you, Tara.

  3. Darlynne says:

    My apologies, my comment came out way harsher than I intended and was primarily directed at myself. If I learn nothing else this year, it will be to keep listening, learning, reading, paying attention and now, becoming an accomplice. No looking away.

  4. Nagarajas says:

    Omg I got this book from the library and loved it so much I bought a copy so I could re-read it and take notes.

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