I’ve called myself a feminist since I was 11. But this Women’s History Month, I want to explain why I skipped out on a major historical moment for women.
My dad asked me, “Vanessa, why would you not go to the women’s march?”
I told him, “Well I don’t think it represents all women.”
“But anyone is allowed to go,” he said.
It didn’t feel that way to me. Among my classmates, most students attending were white. It’s upsetting, because it’s called the “women’s” march. That should include a wide range of women.
When we learn about women’s history, it’s often confined to a white women’s history. As a mixed race person, I don’t see myself in these lessons
But there are a lot of dynamic feminist figures who inspire me now. Like Laverne Cox and Michelle Obama. It feels like an exciting moment, when women of color and trans women are using their platforms to speak out.
In my opinion, if your feminism isn’t all inclusive, it is not feminism. While I felt left out of the march as a “historical moment,” I realized that I wanted to work towards a new women’s history.