Taking Control of the Voices of Young Women of Colour

Eager for change, the feminist movement advocates for women’s liberation and rights, but the ever-growing internal clash in this movement has some women leaving the movement.

The Feminist Movement often highlights issues through the white lens, but is colour-blind when dealing with the issues of Black women. Why is there a black feminist movement? Because women of colour, to this day, still struggle to be included in the mainstream womanist and feminist movements.

Black women experience sexism and inequalities, being affected by both sexism and racism. Ethnic minority women see and live a different world than white women. We are black women in a white movement.

In addition, most of the mainstream media covers issues and movements happening in America, not the UK. Realizing this, Liv Little started the website gal-dem.

Representing the voices of millenial women of colour feminist, gal-dem was created to make the UK the center of publications. The website narrates the complex issues and counters the stereotypes that ethnic minority women are faced with in society. Mainstream media does not reflect the issues of black, Asian, ethnic minority, queer, disabled and trans women. Liv Little wanted to seek feminism:

That explored how young millennial women navigated multiple identities, one that addressed blatant discrimination and silent oppression, and one that refused to treat women as a homogeneous entity, I felt that only through celebrating and acknowledging difference would emancipation for all women be achieved”

This site gives voices to women of colour in the UK and acknowledges the existence of young women of colour. Gal-dem sheds light on black, intersectional feminism and womanism that mainstream media fails to recognize. Young women of colour are here and we matter, and this site helps in acknowledging the importance of that.

Interview with the Guardian: http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/

Briana Bell