Hood Feminism Summary

"Feminism isn’t truly speaking for women until it’s speaking for all women." This book asks a challenging question: Has the feminist movement addressed the lives of marginalized women, or has it largely served the privileged?

1. Feminism Often Prioritizes White Women Over Others

Feminism has historically centered the experiences and needs of white women while sidelining those of minority and disadvantaged women. Mikki Kendall examines how her grandmother, born in 1924, didn’t identify with mainstream feminism even while being the backbone that supported white women entering the workforce.

For women of color, the mainstream feminist agenda often ignores their lived realities, such as access to basic needs like healthcare, food, and education. While conversations about reproductive rights are part of feminism, general healthcare is rarely prioritized in feminist spaces. This reveals a disconnect in addressing the crucial needs of women who don’t enjoy privilege.

Kendall highlights moments like Patricia Arquette's 2015 call for equal pay during her Oscars speech. Arquette requested support from marginalized communities, wrongly assuming their struggles had already been resolved. This exemplifies how white feminism often expects solidarity without reciprocating it.

Examples

• Kendall’s grandmother supported her family while facing racial and gender-based discrimination.
• Conversations about reproductive rights often overlook broader healthcare accessibility.
• Patricia Arquette’s Oscars speech reflected a narrow, exclusive view of solidarity.

2. The Feminist Movement Overlooks Poverty

Millions of women in America experience poverty and hunger daily, yet these issues remain absent from many feminist discussions. Kendall recalls her own experiences of living on the edge, struggling to afford even basic needs like food and utilities while pursuing her education.

Many progressive initiatives unintentionally make life harder for the impoverished. For example, soda taxes—designed to encourage healthier diets—disregard the reality that in some places, soda is one of the more affordable and safe drink options. Meanwhile, gentrification sometimes displaces people of color from their communities when poorer white women move into historically Black neighborhoods.

These challenges underline how poverty leaves little room for participation in debates that dominate privileged feminist spaces, such as whether to buy organic or shop sustainably. Feminism must address these realities instead of focusing solely on middle-class concerns.

Examples

• Kendall recounts crying because she couldn’t afford a Christmas tree for her child.
• Soda taxes create unintentional harm when drinking water in areas like Flint, Michigan, remains unsafe.
• Gentrification disrupts communities of color as housing markets drive displacement.

3. Black Girls Face Unique Challenges Growing Up Poor

Black girls from disadvantaged backgrounds often encounter bias and insufficient support from an early age. Kendall shares how she was labeled “fast” during her youth—an accusation implying she was sexually precocious before she even understood the term.

This label unfairly shifts blame onto Black girls who become victims of sexual violence. Research reveals that a significant number of Black girls in the U.S. endure sexual abuse, yet the support systems meant to protect them fail. Schools, often seen as safe spaces, can be instead venues for punishment that disproportionately targets students of color.

Bias against Black students doesn't just result in unjust suspensions but can lead to criminal records. In many cases, even young girls face police brutality, further demonstrating the failures of systems designed to educate and protect.

Examples

• Kendall experienced being called "fast" at a young age, illustrating systemic stigmas.
• Statistics show 40 to 60 percent of Black girls face sexual abuse before adulthood.
• Videos of school-based police brutality against minority girls highlight systemic failures.

4. Body Image Problems Are Worse for Black Girls

Kendall shares personal stories illustrating how body image issues are a significant yet under-discussed problem for Black youth. By three years old, she experienced harmful beauty standards when a relative tried chemically relaxing her hair, causing pain and tears.

Colorism exacerbates these beauty struggles. While light skin may confer some advantages within Black communities, Black women as a whole remain marginalized—a stark reminder of a culture that idolizes white beauty. Beyond appearance, eating disorders remain underdiagnosed in girls of color due to stereotypes like the "strong Black woman" trope, leaving many to silently struggle.

Mainstream feminism often talks about body positivity or eating disorders without considering how beauty standards differently affect women of color. Black women are constantly told their natural features fall short of societal ideals, creating stress and low self-worth.

Examples

• Kendall’s hair wasn’t left natural until she was 17 due to pressure to conform to beauty norms.
• Darker-skinned individuals experience greater social and career disadvantages.
• Kendall’s early eating disorder reflects ignored warning signs common among Black girls.

5. Parenting Looks Different Through a Lens of Poverty

Parenting as a low-income mother comes with heartbreaking choices, which many privileged feminists fail to acknowledge. Kendall remembers her family’s struggle with domestic violence, including a terrifying moment when an armed uncle entered their home. Experiences like these shape parenting priorities for women in underserved communities.

For impoverished mothers, concerns like affording safe housing and basic needs often outweigh "white feminist" worries about avoiding certain retailers or buying organic products. This stark contrast makes women of color feel excluded from the feminist movement's priorities. Kendall also sheds light on the difficulties women face advocating for reproductive rights, especially Black women, who confront higher maternal mortality rates and a history of forced sterilizations.

Feminism cannot claim relevance without addressing these very real, urgent struggles. Parenting on the margins reveals how disconnected feminist theory has become from the lived experiences of many mothers.

Examples

• Kendall recalls her aunt defending her family during a violent domestic incident.
• White feminists’ focus on organic products feels irrelevant to families deciding between food or rent.
• Kendall highlights the 243 percent higher mortality rate Black women face in pregnancy.

6. Law Enforcement Often Harms Women of Color

Kendall critiques "carceral feminism"—belief in law enforcement as a primary solution for gender violence. In many cases, involving the police does more harm than good for people of color. Victims face added trauma, financial instability, or even prosecution.

Black women frequently go missing, only for authorities to ignore their cases until social media steps in. Meanwhile, homes with abusive partners become riskier to leave without sustainable support for survivors. Incarceration of abusers doesn’t solve systemic issues that perpetuate violence.

Indigenous women face some of the most extreme cases of violence and disappearances, yet their struggles see minimal investigation or media awareness. Law enforcement, touted as a safeguard, often proves to be another form of neglect or abuse.

Examples

• CeCe McDonald’s self-defense led to her imprisonment, demonstrating the legal risks to victims who fight back.
• Missing person statistics highlight the underreporting of Black or Indigenous women’s cases.
• Women risk losing their families’ income or housing when an abuser is jailed.

7. White Women in Power Can Wield It Against Others

Holding power doesn’t automatically translate to empowering others. Kendall explores how white women in influential positions have sometimes upheld systems that harm marginalized groups. Such women may align with feminism only when it doesn’t threaten their privilege.

Examples include activists like Phyllis Schlafly, who led anti-feminist campaigns, and corporate figures like Sheryl Sandberg, who defended Facebook’s policies even when they enabled harmful narratives from the far right. Kendall also addresses the disappointment of white women overwhelmingly voting for conservative political candidates like Donald Trump.

Real progress requires holding all women accountable for how they wield power instead of celebrating their success blindly.

Examples

• Phyllis Schlafly opposed the Equal Rights Amendment, weakening the progress feminists had fought for.
• Sheryl Sandberg was criticized for supporting economic policies that contribute to inequality.
• Many white women voters supported Donald Trump, despite his misogynistic behavior.

8. Voting Rights Are a Feminist Issue

Voting access remains challenging for many women, disproportionately affecting minority groups. Voter suppression tactics in the U.S., like reducing polling stations or requiring hard-to-obtain IDs, disproportionately harm Black and Indigenous voters.

While white women have long had greater voting access, women of color continue to face barriers worsened by systemic racism. Feminism has yet to make eliminating these obstacles a core priority.

Ensuring fair elections shouldn’t just include discussions of voter fraud prevention but should emphasize inclusivity.

Examples

• Modern ID requirements echo past voter suppression laws like poll taxes.
• Indigenous women are underrepresented in voter registration due to lack of infrastructure.
• Closing polling stations forces long waits in minority communities, reducing turnout.

9. Anger Can Drive Feminist Change

Anger isn’t always respected, especially when coming from Black women, but it’s often a stronger motivator for action than neutrality. Kendall urges feminists to move beyond passive allyship and toward active involvement—as accomplices.

Accomplices don’t just say the right thing but take risks and challenge white supremacy directly. They look for ways to contribute that uplift marginalized voices, rather than overshadowing them. Communities can achieve collective progress when anger and passion meet dedicated action.

Examples

• Passive allyship keeps many well-meaning people detached from meaningful advocacy.
• The "strong Black woman" stereotype silences even justifiable expressions of anger.
• Civil rights movements have long relied on emotional urgency to empower change.

Takeaways

1. Address inequality in everyday ways: Support policies or programs promoting fair housing, education, and healthcare for all women.
2. Learn actively: Engage with resources that highlight marginalized voices within feminism and beyond.
3. Move beyond performative allyship: Commit to action by supporting grassroots organizations or speaking out against systemic injustices.