Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Musing on Black Women Writing

 
 

Sent to you by moya via Google Reader:

 
 


My post Black Women x The Streets x Harassment has 114 comments on Racialicious.

I don't think I have ever written something that has received such a massive response.

The comments are illuminating because they demonstrate the ways in which people may or may not see how racial sexism is at play when Black men harass Black women, White women, and other women of color in the streets.

As a writer, as a Black woman, and as a feminist I am incredibly grateful to have spaces to have my work read and responded to in real time. To that end, I appreciate the opportunity to write this post here as well.

I wrote it as a intervention on violence against Black women and street harassment.

I also really appreciate the ways in which article connects Black women's ability to be in the street to our ability to participate in democracy.

Having blogged for almost 5 years, (where did the time go?), I know that writing is work.
Full stop.

However, what is interesting about this piece is that it has allowed me to take relatively sophisticated legal, racial and gender theory and apply it to our every day lives. When I do this, I feel successful. Making theory relate to our everyday lives is an important skill and my blog is a place where I work hard on it.

What do you think about online spaces for Black women?

What would happen if we tried to make some of the theory that we learn accessible
to wider audiences?

Why is it so hard for folks to acknowledge that racial sexism is REAL on the streets?

Renina is a thinker and blogger at New Model Minority.com.


 
 

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