Insurgents' Ink: Why Racism (and the Violence it Engenders) Is Every Feminists' Problem

Tuesday, May 10, 2016

Why Racism (and the Violence it Engenders) Is Every Feminists' Problem

"In a real sense all life is interrelated. All [people] are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly." ~ MLK "The Man Who Was a Fool" from Strength to Love.

"Since all forms of oppression are linked in our society because they are supported by similar institutional and social structures, one system cannot be eradicated while the others remain intact" ~bell hooks "The Significance of Feminist Movement" from Feminist Theory: From Margin to Center.

Feminism, at its core, is about unequal power distribution. It's not about men against women; it's about power and subjugation. If one takes this concept seriously, it is easy to see how sexism and racism are inextricably linked.

I don't think there is enough conversation about the "inescapable network of mutuality," particularly within social justice movements. The history of the feminist movement itself is rank with elitism and racism. It's time to realize, and to act in a manner consistent with this awareness, that these issues are not separate. That we are not separate. That one kind of hatred and oppression is the same as another, comes from the same place and is, therefore, likely to be eradicated similarly.

So, if you call yourself a feminist, you've got plenty to be outraged by...

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Submission Guidelines

1. We are currently seeking critical essay submissions on the topic of the intersectionality of sexism and racism,

We accept Poetry and Short Fiction submissions on any topic.

2. All submissions must meet (or come close to meeting) the following word counts:

· Critical essays – 500 to 5,000 words. Include a bibliography, if applicable.

· Short fictional works – 500 to 3,000 words.

· Poetry – no more than 40 lines.

3. Email your submission(s) to InsurgentsInk@gmail.com. Please paste your text directly into the body of your email: Attachments will not be opened. Include the appropriate submission category in the subject line.

*All submissions are posted at the editors’ discretion. If your piece is not included, we may post it at a later date for a topic that we feel is more fitting.

4. In order to encourage courteous, albeit candid, discussions, we will not accept anonymous submissions. Include your name and a short bio at the bottom of your submission.

Please do not submit any work that has already been published.

Bios

Amber Dickey- Co-Editor
She received an M.A. in English with an emphasis on literature and a B.A. in English with an American literature concentration from CSU Sacramento. As an undergraduate, Amber won second place in the Bazzanella Literary Awards for her critical analysis of T.S. Eliot's The Wasteland. She is an avid fan of the Lost Generation writers, Héléne Cixous, bell hooks, Judith Butler, and many, many others. Her interests lie in the arts, poverty and race studies, gender studies, queer theory, pedagogy, and the Feminist Movement debate. She credits her mother's strength and perseverance as a single mother of three with inspiring her to work hard for everything she wants and never take shit from anyone.

Autumn Newman- Co-Editor
Autumn is a feminist new-formalist poet who received her MFA in creative writing from the University of Southern Maine’s Stonecoast low-residency program where she had the opportunity to work with poets Annie Finch, Baron Wormser and many other talented writers. She also holds a BA in English from California State University, Sacramento, where the poet and professor Joshua McKinney infected her with a seemingly innocent, yet unyielding, addiction to formal poetics. Autumn’s poems have appeared in various small poetry journals and most recently online at Able Muse and Cider Press Review. Aside from poetry and feminism, Autumn’s passions include: pedagogy, graphic novels, music, film, domestic violence education, race relations and all issues that affect and contribute to the unequal power structure of our society.

What's in a Name?

Insurgents’ Ink is a labor of love, and at no moment were the labor pains more evident than when we struggled to come up with an appropriate name for this blog. French feminist Héléne Cixous in her well-known piece from the 1970s, Laugh of the Medusa, famously explicated her concept of insurgency. In it, she urges her female readers to commit an act of insurgency by the simple act of writing, an act, she argues, that allows females to actively resist the historical imperative that women remain in the background. Writing allows women to reclaim their bodies and their minds.

Of course, the term “insurgent” has taken on a far more insidious connotation in our post-9/11 world; read anachronistically, Cixous seems to be likening écriture féminine to terrorism. While we certainly do not wish to take Cixous’ words out of context, we got a chuckle out of the female-writer-as-terrorist connection. But more importantly, we wanted to acknowledge the feminist thinkers who have come before us.

But “Insurgents” is only one half of the name; “Ink” forms the other half and is inspired by the same source. Cixous extends her insurgency metaphor to include writing with white ink: a dual reference to maternity and invisibility. It was important to us that our blog not only provoke our readers, but also inspire them to write. And it is our hope that Insurgents’ Ink will do just that.

Our Purpose

Unlike many blogs, Insurgents’ Ink is not intended as a forum for one individual’s personal opinions. Rather, the purpose of this blog is to provide a forum for a number of people not only to express their opinions, but also to contribute critical essays as well as poems and short works of fiction.

Our intent is to facilitate meaningful discussions, knowing full well that we will encounter differing opinions, and welcoming the subsequent dialogue.

Whether you are female or male, a believer in a “fourth wave” of feminism or a champion of the Nietzschean-like declaration that “Feminism is Dead”—we believe that virtually anything can be approached through a feminist lens. And perhaps more importantly, we believe that contemporary issues confronting feminists and females should be discussed amongst a broad collective of writers.

We encourage you to follow our blog and share your thoughts/writing with a community of feminists! If you’re interested in submitting an essay, poem, or short fiction, please read the “Submission Requirements."