“A Bitch Project” Recap

On Sunday, May 4, I took part in “A Bitch Project,” a participatory discussion about how—and whether—feminism can become a transformative movement for social change. The discussion was held at the community collective Trumbullplex in Detroit; it was initiated by Bitch Magazine publisher Debbie Rasmussen,* and co-organized by myself, fellow Detroit Feminist organizer Andrea Lavigne and local Detroiter Jess Hauser.

 

 

The discussion was part of a small tour Debbie put together after reading an article by Jessica Hoffman (of make/shift magazine) titled “On Prisons, Borders, Safety, and Privilege: An Open Letter to White Feminists.”** As preparation for the discussion, Debbie encouraged all participants to read Hoffman’s piece. Below are excerpts from her invitation, and the questions to be addressed:

 

 

A Bitch Project

Feminism In/Action: What is your feminism for and why does it matter?

 

·     How can we drive attention to the power, privilege, and marginal­ization that continue to play out in feminist communities and how can those of us with power and privilege become effective, genuine allies to those without it?

·     How can we collectively create an independent feminist media-justice movement that doesn’t rely on white supremacy, class privilege, and economic exploitation?

·     Can the idea of “feminism” shift to foreground an uncompromising, transformative commitment to systemic social change, or is it time to evolve to new language

 

 

When Debbie got in touch with me and Detroit Feminists to help facilitate this discussion, I thought it was a great idea, and immediately wanted to be involved. I did so with some trepidation, however, because I understand how difficult it can be to open up a discussion about diversity, social change and inclusive language in the feminist movement, and how hard it is for some to talk about one’s privilege. It’s easy to get off topic, and even easier for tensions to run high very quickly. But I welcomed the opportunity, and was pleased that Debbie had decided to take this first step.

 

 

The morning of the 4th, I was nervous. Diversity is sometimes touched upon within the feminist movement in Metro Detroit, and written about periodically, but usually it seems restricted to rhetoric, which allows feminists to maintain a distance from taking steps toward real change, or actually committing to being inclusive.

 

 

In my own personal interactions, I’ve offended more than a few people trying to address this issue. Others have decided they don’t like me personally, and therefore we are not on the same “feminist” page, and have little to talk about. Many simply go cold when faced with the issue. So opening this up to a full room where I had to help lead the discussion felt a bit daunting. Yet, if I was expecting others to show up and be open and vulnerable, I had to do the same.

 

 

We were pleased with the turnout, which was bigger than we thought it would be; approximately 25 - 30 people showed up. The conversation began with introductions, which were a little uncomfortable given that most people didn’t know each other, and the underlying nervousness about the discussion to come was obvious. Then again, how do you avoid that? You just keep going.

 

 

Then we asked the first question: what is your feminism, and why does it matter? What was most apparent from these first interactions was most of us felt some disillusionment with feminism, and thought something was missing from the movement, but we lacked a general consensus on what it was. Yet everyone there still felt invested in feminism, and wanted to see it evolve in a positive way.

 

 

Often we couldn’t get to a place where we were talking about just one thing; it seemed like we had too many different issues we were each focused on.

 

 

Some thought motherhood was never really highlighted or considered important enough in feminist discourse. While abortion and reproductive rights are highlighted, motherhood is often at the bottom of the list.

 

 

Others felt feminism has become too intellectualized; it has shifted from a mass movement to a field of elite study. It doesn’t leave much room for those who haven’t taken women’s studies courses, and don’t plan to. The working class and the working poor, and the issues important to them, are generally disregarded. Since it’s evolved this way, it loses mass appeal.

 

 

The men in the room – while receptive to the conventional goals of feminism – expressed that they had no real sense of what feminism was, other than angry, man-hating women. They understood this view is continuously perpetuated, and wanted to learn how they might identify as feminists without being the butt of someone’s joke. In general, they expressed an interest in understanding feminism, but also a sense of frustration at not being able to comprehend what it means.

 

 

Over the course of the discussion, we kept circling back around to the idea of diversity, people of color as leaders of the feminist movement, and examining our privilege. While the group was receptive and open to discussing diversity and privilege, it still didn’t seem to be the topic most people wanted to, or even could, focus on. The main question that came out of this was how do we create diversity and also make people of color leaders in the movement without them being tokens, or perceived as tokens? There was also a concern about white people trying to learn about issues important to women of color; how do they ask without being offensive or treating people of color as subjects of learning, or demanding that people of color “teach” white people about their culture and concerns?

 

Another related issue was the tendency of white women to offer solutions for how women of color should participate in the movement, and how white women might help them solve their problems. It’s become a conversation between therapist (white) and victim (woc) instead of a conversation between equals.

 

This question and the related questions were never answered. Still, I think it was a great beginning. With introductions and first discussions like this, we can get over our initial discomfort. And if we can create a safe space, we can address these issues openly and productively. While we had many more questions than we had solutions or movement toward change, the introduction is an important starting point.

 

 

We are now planning part two of this discussion to get back to the original topic as Debbie first proposed. Here’s the information:

Thursday, June 5, 7:30-9:30pm

Trumbullplex

4210 Trumbull, Detroit

• Everyone is welcome (it takes a community!), even if you missed the initial conversation.
• In preparation for the discussion, we aks that everyone read On Prisons, Borders, Safety, and Privilege: An Open Letter to White Feminists, by Jessica Hoffman. The article is available in the current issue of make/shift magazine or online.

  

One of my concerns as we move forward is that the people who are open to these kinds of discussions and are willing to put themselves in uncomfortable positions are often the same people we’re likely to continue seeing. How do we open it up to new people, and/or to a much broader segment of the movement?

 

This is an ongoing struggle that most movements deal with, and we’ll continue to struggle with it. We have to; the alternative is the self-destruction of the movement.

 

Finally, I want to thank Debbie and Bitch Magazine for including Detroit in this tour. We look forward to having you back at the end of June for A Bitch Project Listening Party!

 

*Debbie has a great recap on her blog at Bitch Magazine; she’s also looking for feedback, so feel free to head over there and comment (there’s even a cute picture of me - ha!)