Black History Month ends, and Women’s History Month comes in right after. As a woman, well, not really since I’m not really considered a woman until I’m eighteen because of society or whatever, I guess my feelings could be summed up in the same manner of how I felt about Black History Month: I am indifferent. 

However, this time my feelings aren’t so complex and difficult to pin down, I’m quite literally indifferent to this month as a whole. My relationship with this month and feminism in general is in no way complicated; my thoughts and feelings on both are set in stone, and I see no chance in even partially changing my opinion on either. 

Being a black woman is a unique experience, regardless of what space you find yourself in. Even in the black community community, black girls are divided by internalized misogyny, slut-shaming, colorism, and hypersexualization. Even black men treat black women terribly and see them as lesser, especially if they’re dark-skinned. 

You’d think that if you couldn’t find any solace within your own community, you’d find it in feminist spaces. But in my experience, I found that was not true. In fact, it made me realize that feminism was never made with black women in mind. Feminism these days is so centered around white feminism, a concept that is brilliantly explained in this article, and it seems that even the barest of performative activism is enough to be praised as true feminism, overshadowing things that really matter. 

We’re always talking about what Women’s History Month should mean, how men should appreciate it and approach it, and what men can do. It’s a nice discussion. But why don’t we have a conversation, woman to woman? Why can’t we work together to make feminism a more inclusive movement, not just for women of color but for non-straight women and trans women? We shouldn’t be so quick to be offended by the implication that such an influential movement such as this is not without its faults; instead we should feel encouraged to improve these flaws and make it open for all women.