Beyonce is a Feminist

Though many Black women have taken on the label of feminist, feminism has a very distinct history of not welcoming, listening to, and advocating alongside women of colour. White women are indeed marginalized because of gender; however, feminism has a history of ignoring the importance of race in the lives of Black women.  Black women have continually argued this point, only to meet racism in response and this is why many (myself included) refuse to call themselves feminists.

In an interview with The Daily Mail US, Beyonce has this to say:

I think I am a feminist in a way. It’s not something I consciously decided I was going to be; perhaps it’s because I grew up in a singing group with other women, and that was so helpful to me. It kept me out of so much trouble and out of bad relationships. My friendships with my girls are just so much a part of me that there are things I am never going to do that would upset that bond. I never want to betray that friendship because I love being a woman and I love being a friend to other women. 

In a world in which so many women deny the feminist label, you would think that a mega star such as Bey Bey speaking out about the importance of feminism in her life would bring a round of cheers -- well think again.  Once again, the policing began on feminist blogs, and they decided that it was appropriate to question whether her reasons for taking on the label were legitimate.  God, someone hand me an aspirin, my head is aching. Reading their complaints reminded me of "Ain't I A Woman" by bell hooks, in which she writes that she could not relate to the estrangement between women that the white women in her classes seemed to present as a universal experience, because female spheres, support and companionship were such a strong part of her lived experience. Even though the slogan 'what is personal is political,' has been banded about for a very longtime, feminists routinely fail to take that into account when they decide that it is time to vote on whether or not someone belongs in the club.

Deciding that personal experience is not a legitimate reason to declare oneself feminist is exclusionary.  Bey Bey may have incredible class privilege, but how many others have the money to sit in a WISE class (women's studies) and learn high theory, furthermore; much feminist work is inaccessible to the masses.  Simply because someone does not articulate theory in a manner that validates the academic experience of feminism, does not make one's views any less important.  Bey Bey has clearly talked about the importance of women in her life and in a world in which far too many women are willing to overlook these relationships to elevate the role of men in their lives, I fail to see how this does not represent feminist principles.  I would also like to know how the fact that feminism is something she feels that she "grew into," makes it any less valid than someone who can quote Simone de Beauvoir or Virginia Wolfe at will? It is time that feminism realize that there are various paths to empowerment and enlightenment.

This policing will not encourage women to take on the feminist label; it will only create more riffs in an already troubled movement.  The response to her declaration is yet another example of why many Black women are eschewing feminism to take on the label of Africanna Womanist.  You see, womanism understands and gives real meaning to the phrase the personal is political.  It is about communion and recognizing the various experiences of women.  It is about a shared sisterhood and the recognition that any oppression is terrible.  It is based in family and it is based in love.  These are the principles that Bey Bey articulated.  Maybe none of this is deemed worthy by the highly bloated, exclusionary feminism that has come to be normalized, but I for one am more than happy to welcome Bey Bey into the Africanna Womanist movement should she ever rethink her choice to align herself with a movement that thinks her life experiences are irrelevant.