Powerful ideas from top nonfiction
Try Blinkist to get the key ideas from 5,500+ bestselling nonfiction titles and podcasts. Listen or read in just 15 minutes.
Start your free trial
Blink 3 of 8 - The 5 AM Club
by Robin Sharma
Listen to the Intro
Hood Feminism summary
Mikki Kendall
Notes from the Women That a Movement Forgot
22 mins
What is Hood Feminism about?
Hood Feminism (2020) examines how feminism has often acted in the interests of white women, rather than all women. To be truly inclusive, feminism must also advocate for the most disadvantaged women in society, including women of color.
Table of Contents
Hood Feminism
summarized in 8 key ideas
Audio & text in the Blinkist app
Key idea 1 of 8
Too often, feminism is for white women, and not for minorities.
Author Mikki Kendall’s grandmother was born in 1924, and insisted that her four daughters get a decent education. Dropping out of school was never an option, and college was encouraged, too. Kendall’s grandmother worked hard throughout her life – at first to earn money, and later around the home as she raised her children.
Was she a feminist? She wouldn’t have called herself one. When it first emerged, the feminist movement was dependent on people like the author’s grandmother, who covered housekeeping tasks when white women decided to go outside the home to work. But domestic work, which was badly paid and sometimes unsafe, had never been in short supply.
In fact, Kendall’s grandmother was not a fan of a lot of what feminists had to say. Her brand of feminism, which inspired Kendall herself, was centered around the issues that truly mattered to her.
The key message here is: Too often, feminism is for white women, and not for minorities.
Kendall’s grandmother wasn’t always in step with mainstream feminist thinking. For instance, she held tight to the ideal of being traditionally ladylike. For her, this was a way to stay safe in a world where she faced discrimination not just for being a woman, but also for being Black.
A lot of issues that remain central for many women of color still tend to get overlooked by feminism. For instance, while specific issues like reproductive rights are usually on the feminist agenda, overall health care often isn’t. The same goes for education, and even something as basic as food provision. In short, there’s far too little understanding of what life is like for women who are not privileged.
At the 2015 Academy Awards, Patricia Arquette won Best Supporting Actress, but it was her acceptance speech that made the biggest headlines. She called for equal pay for women – a worthy feminist cause, for sure. But she specifically asked for support from, in her words, “all the gay people and people of color that we’ve all fought for” – as if their rights were already assured beyond a doubt.
The reality, of course, is that marginalized groups still face huge amounts of discrimination, and for Arquette to ask for their solidarity was not a good look. But it was typical of the way in which white feminism often expects solidarity to travel in only one direction.
Solidarity can’t just be for, and among, white women. Feminism must start truly supporting women of color – it’s the only way to work toward true equity.
Want to see all full key ideas from Hood Feminism?
Key ideas in Hood Feminism
More knowledge in less time
Read or listen
Get the key ideas from nonfiction bestsellers in minutes, not hours.
Find your next read
Get book lists curated by experts and personalized recommendations.
Shortcasts New
We’ve teamed up with podcast creators to bring you key insights from podcasts.
Who should read Hood Feminism?
- Feminists looking to expand their horizons
- Women of color who want to see change
- Anyone hoping to learn about race and feminism
Categories with Hood Feminism
Books like Hood Feminism
People ❤️ Blinkist
Sven O.
It's highly addictive to get core insights on personally relevant topics without repetition or triviality. Added to that the apps ability to suggest kindred interests opens up a foundation of knowledge.
Thi Viet Quynh N.
Great app. Good selection of book summaries you can read or listen to while commuting. Instead of scrolling through your social media news feed, this is a much better way to spend your spare time in my opinion.
Jonathan A.
Life changing. The concept of being able to grasp a book's main point in such a short time truly opens multiple opportunities to grow every area of your life at a faster rate.
Renee D.
Great app. Addicting. Perfect for wait times, morning coffee, evening before bed. Extremely well written, thorough, easy to use.
People also liked
Start growing with Blinkist now
26 Million
Downloads on all platforms
4.7 Stars
Average ratings on iOS and Google Play
91%
Of Blinkist members create a better reading habit*
*Based on survey data from Blinkist customers