“Womanist is to feminist as purple is to lavender,” a quote by author Alice Walker. Walker basically created the definition of womanism by using this quote in her book In Search of our Mother’s Gardens. What is womanism? What are womanist views of feminism and are they well founded? Many womanists would agree that the feminist movement was only to created to end sexism. Author Bell Hooks states that anyone who supports feminist politics needs to comprehend the fact that the work does not end with the fight for gender equality (Hooks, 662). Many womanists would believe that feminism was only created by middle-class white women for middle-class white women, and they would be correct. Many feminists only believe in equal rights for middle-class …show more content…
Both groups are in support of women’s rights and equality for all, but the difference is how they fight and support each other. A feminist is a person, male or female, who fights for gender equality. They want women’s rights to be equal to men’s. The first wave of feminism started in the 1790’s when Mary Wollstonecraft wrote Vindication of the Rights of Women (Lee). She stated, “But, if women are to be excluded without having a voice from a participation from the natural rights of mankind…” (Wollstonecraft, 4). Many women in the 18th century were focused on ridding themselves of the stereotypical “white woman” who was weak, a “damsel in distress”. “Simply put, feminism is a movement to end sexism, sexist exploitation, and oppression” (Hooks, 662). Womanism is explained by Alice Walker to be black feminism. While, feminists are fighting for equal gender rights, womanists are fighting for equal gender, racial, and class rights. A womanist is a person, male or female, who is committed to the survival and wholeness of an entire community (Kaminer). Womanism was first created by American novelist, poet, and activist, Alice Walker. Walker wrote the definition of womanism to be “a black feminist or feminist of color” (Izgarjan). She also wrote, “Womanism is different than feminism as it offers colored women a place to develop their policy,” (Izgarjan). Of course, there are many …show more content…
While womanist views on feminism are well founded, the outside world’s view on both movements is also well founded. Both groups need to learn to care about problems other than equality. They need to stop fighting each other, along with non-feminists and non-womanists, and critique themselves; think about how they can solve problems like sexual assault in the workplace for all genders. Feminists and womanists have many of the same experiences, such as facing discrimination for what they believe in and not caring about anything other than their own movement. Both movements continue to reinvent themselves every year, creating more controversy, but sticking to what they believe in, equality for