Black feminist thought is founded on the centering of Black womenʼs experiences and their positions within discourse about gender, class, race, and all the overlapping elements of their identity. Black feminist thought is separated from white feminists and Black men because it draws explicit attention to how Black womenʼs experiences differ from those of their counterparts. I consider myself a Black feminist in every space that I occupy. At Oberlin, a predominantly white institution, I often have to combat feeling isolated or stereotyped. This manifests in awkward class discussions focused on politics and race to having someone at a party exclaim that he had read bell hooks and, subsequently, wanted to spend 30 minutes probing me with questions about a book I had never read. Oberlin has a long history of Black feminist thought, from Mary Church Terrell learning in these halls to bell hooks teaching in them. But to my dismay, much of the dialogue centered around feminists and feminism on this campus often actively creates an exclusionary environment for women of color. These exclusionary feminist forms do not consider the intersectionality central to Black feminist thought, and often, I find that people who have read Black feminist texts still center white feminist ideals as the overall goal of feminism. 

The real question is: How do people engage in Black feminist theory respectfully and educationally while using this kind of thinking to contribute to womenʼs liberation? I think it first comes with acknowledging not only the struggles that Black feminists such as bell hooks or Angela Davis write about, but also the struggles faced by the Black women around you. Black feminist practices which require acknowledging the patriarchal and white institutions we live in, and challenging the ideologies that stem from hegemonic thinking, are among the main ideas consistent in Black feminist literature. Implementing these practices starts with understanding that within a predominantly white institution, spaces dedicated to Black women and Black feminist dialogue are few and far between, and it is common for there to be only a handful of Black women in your classes, if not only one. There is especially a need for these conversations within classes and majors outside the Africana Studies program, which are coveted classes with a limited number of seats. It’s worth considering this need when discussing Toni Morrison in your gender and sexuality class or staring at Black students when talking about slavery in your anthropology class. Refrain from directing questions at your Black female classmate — even if itʼs done to uphold their experience in the space, which is isolating in itself. It can quickly feel like you are deferring to them because they are Black and not for actual intellectual conversation. This is especially true in a classroom, as it is a space that should be educational for all, even those who experience the topic in their daily lives. Black women donʼt take Africana Studies classes to validate or answer questions about the Black feminist experience; we take those classes to learn. It can become very isolating for Black women in these classes because they are thrust into the position of having to speak on a topic that they are in the class to learn about. While I encourage wanting to learn and asking questions, that is exactly what a professor is there for. If your professor is not engaging or knowledgeable enough to answer the questions you have about the Black experience, they shouldnʼt be teaching it at all. 

With that said, how do you interact with Black feminist literature? It starts with decentralizing your white and/or male understanding of the texts you are reading. To combat white and/or male privilege, read with a conscious effort to absorb the knowledge and consider the Black politics, experience, and cultural differences in the texts. Make space outside these readings to apply what you have learned in real life. Fight for causes that donʼt directly affect you and channel your privilege to address the systemic issues that directly affect Black women — for example, the wage gap that has Black women getting paid an average of $36,303 per year in comparison to white men who, on average, make $57,005. You also must ask yourself why you are reading these texts. How can you use the knowledge you gain to better those around you, instead of bragging to your peers that youʼve read bell hooks? Look at the spaces you occupy and ask if you are doing all you can to make space for Black women in your clubs and organizations. If you worship Erykah Badu or quote Nikki Giovanni, radical Black feminists in their own right, ask if you are giving that same admiration and respect to the Black women present in your lives. 

To truly be engaged in Black feminist thought, you must be engaged with its practice. Black women who fight and push back against a society that is against them should have support from their white feminist peers, knowing that while our struggles are different, our fight should not be.