The divide between black feminism and white feminism, more importantly between black and white women, is not a new, confusing phenomenon of this current era, but one see decades prior to the current feminists movements. Because of the lack of inclusivity within the feminist movement, black women associated themselves less with the agenda of their white peers, thus the black feminist movement emerged. Many scholars view the emergence of this movement as one solely reacting to, and in spite of, white feminists; however, authors Benita Roth in her book, Separate Roads to Feminism and Kimberly Springer in Living for the Revolution dispel this false notion that black feminism was a product of reactionary efforts.
To demonstrate how the authors countered this argument, this paper will start with historical review of white feminism, its origins, and development. Then, the following section will review black women’s response to white feminism. Finally, this paper will…show more content… Roth directly deconstructs the fallacies within this claim. She writes, “Black women did hold ambivalent attitudes toward white women’s liberation as an organized movement, although, as noted, their general hostility to feminist issues has been greatly exaggerated,” (Roth 2006, 98-99). Immediately, Roth clarifies that black women carried mixed feelings towards the feminist movement, but ambivalence did not mean hostile. She continues to write, “Other Black women activists were sympathetic to the feminist struggle but leery of white feminists themselves,” (99). The author stresses an important distinction: the movement, in black women’s eyes, was fine. The feelings of hesitation, however, was with those running the movement. Roth examines that black women separated the movement and white women within the movement and critiqued both subjects differently. Finally, Roth
