Barbara Smith: Free Poor Women
on Sunday, February 23, 2020Barbara Smith Money Quote saying feminists work toward freedom of all women, not just those who are struggling, but wealthy white straight women as well. Barbara Smith said:
“Feminism is the political theory and practice that struggles to free all women: women of color, working-class women, poor women, disabled women, lesbians, old women – as well as white, economically privileged, heterosexual women” — Barbara Smith
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In this quote, Barbara Smith seems to be conveying that feminism aims to liberate and empower women of all backgrounds from oppression and marginalization. By stating feminism “struggles to free all women” including those facing multiple forms of discrimination due to factors like race, class, sexuality, disability status or age, Smith implies a vision of feminism as an inclusive movement seeking justice and rights for women across diverse social locations and identities.
The quote conveys Smith’s perspective that true feminism advocates for the full humanity and dignity of all women, not just those with certain privileges, in recognition that patriarchal systems impact women differently based on their varying social circumstances.
Overall, Smith appears to be arguing that feminism’s goal, in her view, is universal women’s empowerment that centers the experiences of women facing compound marginalizations, not just those benefiting from certain advantages of whiteness, economic security, heterosexuality or other attributes of relative power and privilege within patriarchal structures.