Me and White Supremacy: Combat Racism, Change the World, and Become a Good Ancestor

The final week of the challenge asks participants to consider issues of power and relationships while committing to antiracist work, specifically touching on white feminism, white leaders, friends, family, values, losing privilege, and commitment to antiracism. Since the majority of the previous three weeks focused on topics regarding dismantling white supremacy, the entries for the fourth week are somewhat shorter, with more room devoted to personal reflection on relationships with BIPOC and the commitment to antiracist work moving beyond Day 28.

Day 22 centers on white feminism, which is a term used to describe how “feminism” has historically highlighted white cisgender women’s struggles over the struggles of BIPOC. This form of feminism ignores oppression that comes with race in addition to other marginalized identities including class, age, sexual orientation, ability, and more.

This is problematic because it provides evidence that white women do not have to consider their white privilege or oppression on the basis of race while asking BIPOC to focus on their gender before their race while fighting oppression. Asking BIPOC to put their gender before their race in regard to hierarchical power is a larger part of white supremacist patriarchy and ignores the fact that they are oppressed because they are Black women.