#ReclaimMLK: Reclaiming Our History and Future

This post originally appeared on January 23, 2015 written by Aisha Springer.

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This year, Martin Luther King Jr. Day was different than those in recent memory. The visibility of police and vigilante murders of black Americans changed the way we engaged in MLK Day this year, and possibly for years to come. Using the hashtag #ReclaimMLK, Ferguson Action planned and encouraged protests around the country from January 15-19 as a way to reclaim the true intention of Dr. King’s work. As Danielle Belton wrote in The Root, “Somewhere between his assassination and today began an MLK-neutering campaign meant to turn the famed agitator’s holiday into a national Day of Service, a generic mishmash of good feelings that contorts King’s social-justice legacy into a blissful Hallmark card of post-racial nothingness.”

Protesters around the country staged die-ins, marches, and blocked highways, shopping outlets, and even brunches. A long list of hashtags tracked these actions including #ReclaimMLK, #MLKalsoSaid,#BlackLivesMatter, #ShutItDown, and #ICantBreathe. 

Photo: #4MileMarch #4MileMarchNYC #MLK #MLKDAY #ReclaimMLK #MartinLutherKing#blacklivesmatter… http://t.co/ZWzVpohxPB

— Activists of NY (@activistsNYC) January 21, 2015

This refocusing of the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday has been a long time coming. For years, Dr. King has been presented as an icon for the nebulous feel-good ideas of peace and unity or used as a commercial ploy, ignoring the radical nature of the Civil Rights Movement and what King’s beliefs and actions really meant. Even in his nonviolence, King was so threatening that the FBI zealously monitored him and other civil rights leaders.

"The Negro’s great stumbling block in his stride toward freedom is… the white moderate." #MLKalsoSaid #ReclaimMLK pic.twitter.com/VXgZCw7ZYF

— Britni (@britnidlc) January 19, 2015

Fast forward to today, when media figures and others who oppose many of the things Dr. King stood for- workers’ rights, reproductive justice, criticism of capitalism– praise him as a national hero while co-opting his true message. Each year, we can expect to hear pundits and politicians justify their beliefs by claiming that, if he were alive today, Dr. King would agree.

Rosa Parks is another of the most well-known civil rights leaders and rightly so, although not for the reasons most of us were taught in school. Like King, Parks’ image has been distorted to fit popular culture. As a black woman, Rosa Parks has been put through an additional layer of sanitizing to make her acceptable to racist and sexist power structures. As Danielle McGuire writes in her book At the Dark End of the Street: Black Women, Rape, and Resistance – a New History of the Civil Rights Movement from Rosa Parks to the Rise of Black Power, Rosa Parks wasn’t just a quiet old woman who refused to get out of a whites-only seat on the bus because her feet were tired from a long day of work. She was “a militant race woman, a sharp detective, and an antirape activist long before she became the patron saint of the bus boycott.”

Her decision to resist segregation wasn’t a result of tired feet, but of a lifelong defiance and ingrained belief in the right to fair treatment. Her story was co-opted not only by white power structures, but also by a patriarchy that requires a civil rights heroine to take on a saintly image to be effective.

As we see in the erasure of Dr. King’s radicalism, Rosa Parks’ fierce lifelong activism, Maya Angelou’s unapologetic past as a sex worker, and so many others, we cannot count on others to tell our stories. This generation is capitalizing on the ubiquity of social media to demand that our history is neither revised nor repeated.

2015 Round up of Feminist New Year Resolutions

This post originally appeared on January 5, 2015 written by Kelly Ehrenreich.

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Last week as we said goodbye to 2014 and hello to 2015, feminist writers and activists reflected on the struggles and victories from the past year with a plan to move forward. We collected the top stories and tweets of Feminist New Year Resolutions, or #FeministNewYearResolutions.

Feminists wrote *a lot* this year about hashtags, as evident through our collaboration with Mic.com’s Elizabeth Plank on the Top Feminist Hashtags of 2014. Among the most prolific tags were #YesAllWomen and #BlackLivesMatter. Anushay Hossain of the Huffington Post declared that “Feminists rocked 2014” highlighting many moments for feminists to celebrate in 2014, such as Malala’s Nobel Peace Prize and Maryam Mirzakhani’s Fields Medal.

Some of the leading feminist voices in media and activism shared their views on how we can leverage energy and visibility of feminist issues in 2014 to make change going forward. Jessica Valenti wrote for The Guardian: “If you call yourself a feminist, make 2015 the year you act on those beliefs”; and Amanda Marcotte for Slate outlined the possibilities for feminist activism in 2015, citing both positive and negative implications.

Articles from Feministing, Washington Post, and Amber Gordon via Femsplain asked dozens of feminists to share their goals for the new year. A special tip of the hat to Ruth Tam for her piece in the Post as she also illustrated portraits of each of the 16 influential feminists shown (right).

Quotes from feminists of various ages, races, and backgrounds across the country show the diversity of feminist priorities; from political goals like a higher living wage, to combating police brutality and sexual assault, to personal goals of self-care and treating others well. Janet Mock addressed the variety of social justice needs and calls for collaboration in the feminist community:

My hope is that feminist, racial justice, reproductive rights and LGBT movements build a coalition that centers on the lives of women who lead intersectional lives and too often fall in between the cracks of these narrow mission statements.

Janet Mock, 31 | ‘Redefining Realness’ author and MSNBC’s ‘So Popular’ host | @JanetMock

#FeministNewYearResolutions

Feminist writer Ijeoma Oluo started the tag #FeministNewYearResolutions, which was highlighted in Suzanna Bobadilla‘s Feministing article. We collected some of our favorite#FeministNewYearResolutions tweets, and in the spirit of Feministing, and our other friends in feminist media, we list our very own #FeministNewYearResolutions below the tweets.

Stop telling dudes I have a boyfriend when I’m not interested. #FeministNewYearResolutions

— Ijeoma Oluo (@IjeomaOluo) December 27, 2014

Throw feral cats at catcallers. #FeministNewYearResolutions — Ijeoma Oluo (@IjeomaOluo) December 27, 2014

When people ask why you aren’t married, yell “I’M MARRIED TO THE STRUGGLE” & flip over a table. #FeministNewYearResolutions

— Ijeoma Oluo (@IjeomaOluo) December 27, 2014

Compliment other women more (on things other than clothes) #FeministNewYearResolutions— Muffin Winters (@MuffinTVB) December 27, 2014

When people ask “are you feminist?” reply “are you not?” and make them question all their life choices. #FeministNewYearResolutions

— Anya Maria (@spynasty) January 1, 2015

Finally making the switch: swapping male tears for almond milk in my morning coffee. #FeministNewYearResolutions — Shannon Miller (@Phunky_Brewster) December 28, 2014

Fuck more patriarchy #FeministNewYearResolutions

— Anne Thériault (@anne_theriault) December 27, 2014

#F’s #FeministNewYearResolutions

1. Involve at least two more regular contributing writers (if you’re interested in writing for #F,email us at inquiries [at] hashtagfeminism [dot] com).

2. Accumulate more subscribers for our monthly newsletter (sign up in the right side bar)!

3. Double our Twitter followers to 5,000.

4. Partner with more groups and individuals for larger projects involving media, feminism, race, and social justice.

#F’s Founder and Publisher Tara L. Conley’s#FeministNewYearResolutions:

1. My hope for this year is for us, feminists, to be better at being separate together. Let’s build together, but let’s also respect our separate spaces so we can accomplish similar goals.

2. My hope this year is also for white and mainstream feminists to privilege more race work in 2015, and especially rally around justice for Black and brown girls.

3. As an older millennial (born on the cusp in 1981), I also want to see more intergenerational collaborations between feminists inside and outside the classroom, on the ground, and in non-profit spaces and corporate America.

4. I also want to see more mentorship between established feminists and other feminists working in activism, business, education, and media.

5. I learned in 2014 that feminists need to build better strategic partnerships between feminist techies and content creators in order to establish workable technologies and systems to combat online harassment, hacks, doxxing, etc. It is real out here in these Internet and Twitter streets!

#F’s Editor Kelly Ehrenreich #FeministNewYearResolutions:

1. I want to be better about expressing my Feminist beliefs in 140-character increments, rather than waiting to write a post for #F or retweeting others who have said something I agree with.

2. I want to write more short pieces for #F to collect the receipts and keep the online Feminist conversation flowing.

3. I also want to continue my work from 2014 to actively take Feminist values into my relationships, particularly compassion and understanding; actively building up women around me; supporting both women and men to feel comfortable not leaning on gender stereotypes.

What are your #FeministNewYearResolutions? How can we build on feminist media and political action in 2015? Tweet us at @hashtagfeminism.

[INFOGRAPHIC] Top Feminist Hashtags of 2014

This post originally appeared on December 10, 2014 written by Tara L. Conley.

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This year’s top feminist hashtags would not be complete without a visual. See how each hashtag came about this year, and how others covered the story. Compare this year’s top tags to last year’s Top Feminist Hashtags of 2013.  Let us know what you think!

2014 Top Feminist Hashtags – Honorable Mentions

#bellhooksTNS first appeared on Twitter on October 23, 2013 when Twitter user @lolaschild tweeted the tag linking to bell hooks artist in residence series at The New School. The New School has since purveyed the tag on Twitter to promote hooks’ talks.

#Fem2 remains the longest running, widely used, and consistently referenced feminist hashtag to date. #Fem2 was created during an exchanged between Liz Sabator (@blogdiva), Victoria Pynchon (@VickiePynchon), and Stowe Boyd (@stoweboyd), and first appeared on December 15, 2008. Niambi Jarvis (@hiyaahpower) is the most widely recognized purveyor of the hashtag.

#GirlsLikeUs first appeared on Twitter on September 2, 2009 when user @mieke_veedeo tweeted a link to Glu Magazine. The hashtag has since been used to promote Rachel Lloyd’s book, Girls Like Us. Most recently, writer and contributing editor of Marie Claire, Janet Mock used the hashtag to create a campaign to empower trans women of color.

#IStandWithJamilah and #IStandWithAura first appeared on Twitter on March 27, 2014 and September 14, 2014, respectfully, in support of EBONY.com’s senior editor, Jamilah Lemieux and Colorlines’ News Editor, Aura Bogado after both writers were singled out online for speaking out against racism.

#IStandWithJamilah because "racism" against white people isn't racism, it's a logical reaction to the oppression of people of color.

— Maladapted (@Malatestamony) March 27, 2014

@aurabogado is the best. @FCKH8 is the worst. #IStandWithAura

— @Pissdrinker (@OTSWST) September 15, 2014

#MarrisaAlexander and #FreeMarrisa first appeared on Twitter on May 3, 2012 and July 18, 2013, respectively, in response to the Stand Your Ground ruling that initially sentence a Black women, Marrisa Alexander to 20 years in prison for discharging a weapon in the presence of her estranged husband and children. As of November 24, 2014 Alexander accepted a plea deal to serve three years in jail.

Disclaimer: We do our best with limited capacity to ensure that tweets are fairly represented. If you feel as though you or your tweets have been misrepresented and wished to be removed from this year’s curation, please do not hesitate to contact us at inquiries [at] hashtagfeminism [dot] com.

This post was created over a year’s time. If you appreciate this work and our labor, please donate. Your donations go directly to writers and operation costs. Thank you!

Hashtag Activism: The Politics of Our Generation

This post originally appeared on December 2, 2014 written by Kelly Ehrenreich.

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November was a tumultuous time for feminism. 

The results of last month’s midterm elections gave way to a Republican majority in Congress for the first time since 2008. A week later, TIME published a piece suggesting that the word “feminist” be banned for the year based on its overuse namely by celebrities who dare to support gender equality in public.

Roxane Gay, author of Bad Feminist, pointed out the bitter irony in the juxtaposition of these two events:

For the most part, though, the past twelve months have been a banner year for feminism in media. Take for instance  #YesAllWomen, #YouOKSis and #GamerGate, all of which trended and garnered national media recognition. Then, there’s Beyoncé who stood firmly on the Video Music Awards stage with the word FEMINIST emblazoned on a screen behind her. Take also men like Aziz Ansari who announced to the world that men too can and should be feminists.

Aziz Ansari talks about being a feminist, & a child of immigrants by @feministabuloushttp://t.co/hKLlyO5EIf

— la tula cuecho (@LissetteMiller) October 8, 2014

Though the word “feminism” has managed to permeate mainstream discourse, despite TIME magazine’s critique, we’ve yet to achieve anywhere near gender or racial equity in society writ large.

The fundamental principles of feminism; that all humans are equal and should be treated as such regardless of gender, race or class, is no more feasible politically now than from a year ago.

How can we reconcile feminism’s popularity of the past year with the principles of feminism that we carry out in our everyday lives?

Despite the fact that many are talking about feminism and declaring gender and racial equality and justice an important value, voting demographics this past election season don’t seem reflect these views.  

Addressing the Disconnect

Critics of the millennial generation and those skeptical of social media as tools for organizing may consider this year’s voter turnout demographics as proof that hashtag activism doesn’t really matter. There has been no shortage of think pieces discussing popular hashtag trends and social movements posing the same question over again: “Does hashtag activism really make a difference?”

It’s a fair question. While #NotMyBossBusiness and #HobbyLobby swept across Twitter just a few months ago, politicians who voted against women’s health like Mitch McConnell and Pat Roberts were re-elected in the midterms. Wendy Davis’ filibuster in pink tennis shoes was all the rage on Twitter last year. #StandWithWendy trended globally, yet on November 4th she lost handily to Greg Abbott and captured a meager 32% the white women vote.

#Ferguson has been a major trend this year ever since 18-year-old Michael Brown was shot and killed by a police officer on August 9th. When the Missouri grand jury announced late last month a decision not to indict Mike Brown’s killer, #FergusonDecision, #BlackLivesMatter, and#HandsUpWalkOut trended and sparked massive offline action.

Even now Americans are protesting in the streets outside of St. Louis and across the country mourning Michael Brown’s death and demanding that their voices be heard and seen. These protest, largely organized online and by young people remind the world of this country’s painful history of violence against black and brown people.

How is that we have mass protests around the country, where people from all walks of life demand equality, equity, and justice, yet there are still those who march to the polls, casting votes for politicians to repeal the Affordable Care Act, limit Medicare and Medicaid, give tax cuts to wealthy, and silence those most marginalized?

A New Kind of Activism

Let me state the obvious: tweets ≠ votes. But does that mean hashtag feminism  or any kind social activism online doesn’t matter?

Of course not.

As @deray notes in this CNN piece on the power of #Ferguson, hashtags are a community, they are where we gather to share our experiences and hear stories we could not get anywhere else, whether it be in our own communities or from a cable news outlet. The Guardian calls hashtags a “rallying cry of a new generation’s quest for racial justice”.

There is no greater evidence of this rallying cry than what we have seen emerge along the #Ferguson and #YouOKSis tags. Both tags have been led and purveyed by feminists, particularly women of color, that have magnified stories and garnered the kind of attention mainstream media often ignores.

If media critics are still looking for hard evidence that social media activism matters but aren’t yet convinced by the sheer number of tweets this year, take a look at From #RenishaMcBride to #RememberRenisha.

Though hashtag activism looks different than other political and social movements of the past, this new(er) form of activism still faces similar challenges as previous generational movements. At times, activism can be a slow-moving, incremental process. There are always small victories. A surge of opposition doesn’t mean total defeat; it means there’s more work to be done.

Unlike movements before, hashtag activism doesn’t necessarily use the language of politics. It may not always use the language of revolution, resistance, rebellion either. More often than not, however, the power of hashtag feminism and hashtag activism lies in it’s real-time telling of intimate stories and ironic truths.

Hashtags have the power to locate the particulars of human experience. Though not always correlative in terms of congressional seats, hashtag activism locates where our stories are told overtime in 140-characters and measured by acts of empathy and resistance that follow. Our conversations, revelations, relationships, growth, and enlightenments: None of these should be discounted or discouraged.

What Comes Next

Despite those who argue that this generation of social activists are nothing more than social media users with strong opinions, one only need to look at feminist Twitter, where women and men go to bat for marginalized people and communities everyday, on and offline. Caring isn’t the problem, and neither is this new(er) form of activism.

"A system cannot fail those it was never meant to protect." W.E.B. Du Bois #Ferguson

— Elizabeth Plank (@feministabulous) November 25, 2014

this is why voting matters. voter registration is how they fill jury pools, including grand jury pools. serving jury duty is important.

— Fatniss Evaaahdeen (@meadowgirl) November 25, 2014

The Future of Politics and Hashtag Activism

Though this year was a setback in many ways for progressives and feminist political ideals, there have been some steps forward. Alma Adams became the 100th woman of the 113th Congress, marking the largest number of women to serve in Congress simultaneously.

A few things to consider for the future of hashtag feminism and its potential impact on the political landscape:

1. Tweeting about something does not necessarily bring about political change.

2. Hashtag feminism may preach to the choir, but we still have to take our choirs offline and out into the community.

3. Representation in the media is key and hashtags, in many ways, disrupt mainstream media narratives about marginalized communities and unjust legislation.

4. Online communication by way of hashtags can help birth a new generation of understanding, empathy, and acceptance.

What do you think? What does #F mean in relationship to politics to you? How does or should one affect the other? Can hashtag activism change the political system? If so, can it do so fast enough? Will a political revolution ever and ultimately be attributed to a hashtag? Has #Ferguson and #BlackLivesMatter already proven the power of a hashtag to blend online and offline activism?

#WhyIStayed: A Lesson In Empathy [OPINION]

This post originally appeared on September 11, 2014 written by Aisha Springer.

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Domestic violence is incredibly common. The statistics are staggering: In the U.S. one in four women experiences domestic violence in her lifetime. Internationally, domestic violence kills more people than war. Yet domestic violence and violence against women is generally misunderstood and mischaracterized by individuals and the media, focusing on victim-blaming and excuse-making. Depictions of domestic violence are sensationalized, rationalized, and ignore the reality of victims’ experiences. It’s no different even when celebrities are involved. Cue the Ray Rice conversation.

When reports came out that Baltimore Ravens former running back Ray Rice punched his then-fiancee, Janay Rice in an Atlantic City casino elevator, knocking her unconscious, an overwhelming response from the public and the NFL was to ask what she did to provoke him; too often the first question raised when a woman is abused.

Feminist Twitter, particularly female football fans, responded with outrage over Rice’s actions, the Ravens’ subsequent press conference, and the NFL’s uneven punishment for domestic violence and sexual offenders as opposed to drug abusers.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and other officials jointly questioned the couple about what happened, then scheduled a press conference where the Ravens live-tweeted her apology for the “role that she played the night of the incident.” Ray Rice, on the other hand, received a standing ovation from Ravens fans, citing “my trials and tribulations” and “everything I went through” throughout his response. To some observers, evidence that the the couple later got married meant that Janay Rice did, in fact, deserve at least some blame.

This past Monday morning, TMZ released the full security camera video of the assault. Almost immediately, the NFL suspended Rice indefinitely.

Many NFL fans on Twitter have noted this video contains no new information, and terminating Ray Rice after its release was a blatant attempt to save face. It didn’t work. It’s clear at this point that the NFL not only grossly mishandled the case, but merely continued its record as a massive profit-making, image-conscious institution that has a record of condoning DV.

It’s Not Just Ray Rice: @EdgeofSports on the NFL’s History of Condoning Domestic Abuse http://t.co/hbjyFPAQIO

— Democracy Now! (@democracynow) September 9, 2014

Those who question Janay Rice’s apology during the joint press conference don’t take into consideration the binding circumstances. Rice was interviewed publicly, in front of her abuser, all while her abuser’s career hung in the balance; solely dependent upon her corroboration of the mutual blame story.

Now that the video of her assault has been shared with the world without her consent, she’s had to relive that traumatic night in Atlantic City. Public ‘proof’ or visual evidence of abuse is usually what’s required for a victim of domestic violence to receive any trace of justice. In this case, so-called ‘justice’ came as a result of PR acumen to preserve the NFL’s image.

Tuesday morning, Janay Rice responded via her private Instagram account to the video release and the decision of indefinite suspension.

Given the circumstances, it is counterproductive to judge and condemn Janay Rice’s life choices. But while the public should respect her decisions as hers to make, advocates should also continue to speak out against lenient punishments for domestic abuse and educate people about why it’s so difficult for victims to leave.

Enter, #WhyIStayed.

I had to plan my escape for months before I even had a place to go and money for the bus to get there. #WhyIStayed

— Beverly Gooden (@bevtgooden) September 8, 2014

The lack of concern for Janay Rice spawned the hashtags #WhyIStayed, #WhyILeft, and #WhenILeft. Blogger Beverly Gooden started this Twitter conversation to address the fact that even after the disturbing video was released, some people were apathetic towards Janay Rice while others continued to blame her.

Read Beverly Gooden’s reasons for starting #WhyIStayed on her blog and in the Washington Post.

Because I had no where else to go. #WhyIStayed

— Christiauna Marie (@CrankstaWho) September 9, 2014

#whyistayed I wasn't up to the probable custody battle. #WhyILeft My daughter was finally old enough. Marriage should never be mandatory.

— Kim Cowan (@kim0512) September 9, 2014

20+ cops responded, but he was back inside before I finished packing – less than an hour later #WhyIStayed

— H.Rights vs Stalkers (@stalkingviolate) September 9, 2014

As all of these women can attest, there are many valid reasons why victims stay, including psychological, emotional, cultural, legal, and economic reasons. Perpetuating the notion that the responsibility is on victims to stop or prevent violence, paired with inadequate institutional responses is what makes DV stigmatized and often deadly.

Women who leave are less likely to be abused but they are abt 8 times more likely to be killed if they leave. #WhyIStayed #WhenILeft

— Brittney Cooper (@ProfessorCrunk) September 9, 2014

#WhyIStayed Because I lived with abuse from before I was born, was taught a woman's place through words and examples in my house as a kid.

— Theresa Summa (@theresaanna) September 9, 2014

Because good church girls persevere and overcome. #whyistayed

— Akoua Deloire (@AfroIvoire) September 9, 2014

It's not one day he hits you, it's everyday he works hard to make you smaller. #WhyIStayed

— Elizabeth Plank (@feministabulous) September 9, 2014

After you read Janay Palmer's Instagram post, please read this chart before passing judgment on her words & actions. pic.twitter.com/Wn2qYBtTvF

— Wendy Thurm (@hangingsliders) September 9, 2014

Why would a person stay in an abusive relationship? @ndvh has discussed a lot of reasons http://t.co/DV9SlhSGs3 #WhyIStayed

— NOMORE.org (@NOMOREorg) September 9, 2014

Women who are victims of DV often feel they are on their own and no one will believe or support their stories; these beliefs are not entirely unfounded. Laws like nuisance ordinances reinforce a belief of hopelessness, and further enable abusers to isolate and control their victims.

A recent victory over nuisance ordinances in a Pennsylvania town may indicate progress, but that’s only one town among many. We need more policy victories like these along with a change in cultural perception.

That’s what make hashtags like #WhyIStayed so significant. Social media highlighted stories of DV in front of millions of people, and American institutions like the NFL can now be widely held to account for their blatant attempts to cover up violence against women.

We can’t afford to continue ignoring domestic violence. With victims’ and advocates’ voices amplified, ignorance will no longer be an excuse and apathy will no longer be tolerated.

If the #WhyIStayed tweets and the statement from Janay Rice don't show you what domestic violence does to women, you don't WANT to get it.

— RICHELLE CAREY (@RichelleCarey) September 9, 2014