we have brains

internalized sexism

March 2, 2003 12:34 PM posted by kerri : track it (0)

When I read several totally unrelated and coincidental writings about a topic within a short timespan, I consider it to be a sign of something I should be paying more attention to.

I bought myself A Taste of Power: A Black Woman's Story by Elaine Brown, after being impressed by her presentation at my college campus a few weeks ago. She was the first and only female leader of the Black Panther Party, and the first few pages of the book describes how she obtained that position. She addressed the Party:
"I have control over all the guns and all the money of this party. There will be no external or internal opposition. I will not resist and put down. I will deal resolutely with anyone or anything that stands in the way. So if you don't like it, if you don't like the fact that I am a woman, if you don't like what we're going to do, here is your chance to leave. You'd better leave because you won't be tolerated!"

Now, taking command of a militant group like that and setting the record straight takes enormous guts. It doesn't hurt to have a few armed bodyguards.

I have seen sexism leak its way into various forms of activism. On the anti-war front, I've heard anti-feminist as well as misogynist garbage. In the punk scene, female musicians are still tokenized.

How do you deal with sexism coming from supposedly enlightened people? What is stopping us from getting up to a podium and saying, "If you don't like that a woman can have leadership or even a voice in this movement, then get out!" ?

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