Feminist? Womanist? Male Feminist? Humanist?...Call It What You Like

Wednesday was the first day of our workshop series for young women and guess what?



It looks like some young men are eager to join us as well. And not just as participants, but as collaborators.

This is great news but raises some questions for us to consider. BlackLight began as a female-led initiative. This does not mean, however, that we exclude males or are only interested in female uplift. In fact, the opposite is true. BlackLight has been, and will always be, about healing and empowering our community. And by community we mean ALL YA'LL! So, in addition to some very talented and energized young sisters, we also had Jason join us who is interested in getting some of his other male friends involved. Our hope is that these young men will enable us to extend our reach and speak to more people.

BlackLight is on fire!

So, since Bry-ee could not make it to this first workshop, I talked to her today about what happened on Wednesday and how many new members we have ready to support and add their unique voices. When I mentioned Jason, Bryee and I got into a conversation about feminism and what it means to be a feminist. Can men be feminists? Do WE even define ourselves as feminists? Do we take up Alice Walker’s terminology, womanist? Do any of these terms have relevance in the work we do?
Bry-ee is 21 years old and does not consider herself a feminist. She does not like the term because she feels it conveys male bashing. Bry-ee also feels that the things holding her back have little to do with her female status. Interesting, huh? Especially considering our mission (see right panel). This just proves to me how practice and theory, perceptions and actions can often co-exist in odd tensions.



Although I am all about social justice on a broad scale, I do understand (on both a deeply personal and theoretical level) how gender impacts life chances, especially as it interacts with race and economic status. I also readily admit that race is often more at the center of my consciousness as I make my way through the world. Do I consider myself a feminist? A humanist? An intersectionalist? It gets complicated sometimes but I am glad that I have the opportunity to think about these issues with the young women of BlackLight and be challenged by their contemporary understandings of what it means (and doesn’t mean) to be young, black and female in Detroit in 2007.

Where do you stand?

Professor Mark Anthony Neal reflecting on his own upbringing says that “there was rarely an instance when we even remotely thought about how gender, or even sexuality, complicated the experience of those of us who weren’t male.” He also citesAudre Lorde who makes the statement that “Sons - boys have no role models - Our girls have us as positive role models - the boys have nothing - they are trail blazers - they are making their own definition of self as men.”

Well, on Thursday, Jason stepped up to the open mic and dropped knowledge on what it means to be a man. In Jason’s words, “being a man means not being afraid to cry on someone's shoulder or to ask for help when you need it. Being a man means not being afraid to ask for a job application and do more than hang on the streets, even if your friends make fun of you. Being a man means being able to express yourself.”

Jason told me that he learned these things from his father and feels bad for those young men who don’t have male role models. Jason, like Audre Lorde, fears for what some young men's own definitions of self says about their lack of support and guidance.

Yes, we are very happy to have Jason and other young men as a part of BlackLight, whether they consider themselves male feminists, supporters, collaborators or just young men with something to say. Terminology seems less important than intentions.

What do you think?