the "F" word

I am constantly taken aback by how many people find the word "feminism" offensive.

I will admit that for many years I had a problem with defining myself as a feminist, but my reasons were not because I am opposed to the concepts of feminism as much as I found "femisists" to be upper class white women. I called myself a "womanist" in an attempt to be more inclusive of all races and classes of women but I believe the battle over words blinds us to the issues and so now I have no problem calling myself a feminist.

I was sitting in my class this weekend listening to presentations. A woman in my class was talking about how, as a single professional woman, people still make the assumption that she drives her husbands car, or that she is married and that is why she lives in a nice house. She was offended by these assumptions but then made it pointedly clear that she is NOT a feminist. WHA? HUH? I'm confused. Why does she consider herself to NOT be a feminist? She works and has workplace rights. She expects equal pay for equal work. She votes. She has the right to contract and property, I'm pretty sure she believes in her right to bodily integrity and autonomy (especially on matters such as reproductive rights, including the right to abortion, access to contraception and quality prenatal care). She has the right to protection from domestic violence; against sexual harassment and rape; and against other forms of discrimination. Now I haven't asked her, but I am also fairly confident in saying that she is opposed to female genital mutilation.

This is feminism people. Say it all together now: FEM IN ISM. It won't hurt you. You won't sprout horns and spit fire, and your bras will not spontaneously combust.

Why are you so afraid of it?

From Rosie.com I copied the following:

Shirley Anita St. Hill Chisholm (November 30, 1924 – January 1, 2005) was an American politician, educator and author. She was a Congresswoman, representing New York’s 12th District for seven terms from 1968 to 1983. In 1968, she became the first African American woman elected to Congress. On January 23, 1972, she became the first major party African American candidate for President of the United States. She won 152 delegates.

• I was the first American citizen to be elected to Congress in spite of the double drawbacks of being female and having skin darkened by melanin. When you put it that way, it sounds like a foolish reason for fame. In a just and free society it would be foolish.
That I am a national figure because I was the first person in 192 years to be at once a congressman, black and a woman proves, I think, that our society is not yet either just or free.

• I want history to remember me not just as the first black woman to be elected to Congress, not as the first black woman to have made a bid for the presidency of the United States, but as a black woman who lived in the 20th century and dared to be herself.

• Of my two “handicaps” being female put more obstacles in my path than being black.

• I’ve always met more discrimination being a woman than being black.