The exclusiveness of white feminism

White feminism has blind spots when it comes to black life. In many cases, white feminism will lead the charge when it comes to equality for women and gay people, while stopping short when it comes to black life in America. Many white feminists will tell you gender trumps (no pun intended) race, while the issues of black people, particularly black women, are put on layaway. “Now isn’t the time” and “We’ll talk about that later” are usually said to black women when a part of who they are is passive aggressively rejected.

This is the type of behavior by white feminists that infuriates black people.

Along the way, many of you have had cause after cause after cause to align yourselves with: ESPN host Jemele Hill’s political tweets, Black Lives Matter and, most recently, Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton’s sexist comments to the Charlotte Observer’s Jourdan Rodrigue. Black people see where your outrage stops short. We have receipts.

Remember the Women’s March after President Trump was inaugurated? What got lost in the protest was that some of those same women haven’t stood tall when black people needed them.

When white feminists dismiss the concerns of black people, they fall into the trap of the “let their community handle their own problems” trope.

There’s really only one way to be a solid ally. When you take on someone’s causes, in turn, you have to be front and center when the group you’ve aligned yourself with has some issues that need to be addressed.

I understand why all women are outraged when a panel on a sports talk show on sexual assault consists of only men. When that happens in any circumstance, such as an allwhite panel discussing black issues, an important part of the conversation is missing. It’s comparable to hearing only a part of the directions and getting mad when you’ve gotten lost.

But, then again, white women need to know when it’s time to stand down when issues they’re not part of are discussed. Let those affected by the issues lead the way.

In closing, I say this to white feminists: We hear a lot of talk about “where someone stands on certain issues is how they will be remembered.”

Don’t let history remember you as being a group of haters.