RECLAIMING OUR SPACE

A feminist writer/community activist offers insights into what
she sees as the defining practices of 21st-century black feminism.

For Philadelphia-based social worker and activist Jones, black
feminism is “the key to Black liberation.” One tool that the author believes
that black feminists have used successfully in their ongoing struggle for
social justice is Twitter. She argues that hashtags, which help Twitter users
find “specific topics and associated social media posts,” have become vital
mechanisms to grow communities that extend far beyond the narrow confines of
academia. Some, like #FridayNightHorror (which focuses on black women in the
horror film genre) and #BlackGirlsAreMagic (which focuses on the
accomplishments of black women), are social, educational, and/or inspirational
in nature. Others, like #BlackLivesMatter, have become the foundation for
worldwide political movements. Jones believes that Twitter has become such a
successful tool for black feminists/activists because the “forum [is] rooted in
the African call-and-response tradition,” wherein participants aid in the
development of a message while also influencing its direction. She also suggests
that Twitter has become a way that black feminists like herself have been able
to build followings that have allowed them to continue much-needed
conversations elsewhere. Tweets on sex-positive feminism, for example, led
Jones to create a widely read blog and, later, articles for Ebony.com. While
the author concedes that what exists online “can be negative and harmful to
[black] progress,” she also suggests that continued sharing of ideas among
black feminists “will strengthen and improve the way the next generation
interacts with each other.” Sharp and provocative, the narrative is most
powerful in its implication that, unless born to privilege, all Americans,
regardless of race or gender, now “feel something akin to what Black
people…have always experienced.” Understanding black (female) struggles is
therefore critical for everyone.

Smart, savvy, and unapologetically fierce.