As we all know, I am a feminist. But, what does this mean? At its core, feminism is about the advancement of women toward gender equality. But, what is equality? And, how do we get there? Who gets to do the defining? I have found much diversity within feminism and with women who do not identify as "feminist" but certainly have feminist views toward women and gender. When discussing hip hop with many self-identifying feminists, the same discussion usually entails. That debate being that it objectifies woman, promotes violence/hatred against women, and is "the enemy". As for the woman involed in hip hop (as artists, background singers/dancers, or girlfriends/wives/sisters/mothers of male artists), a false consciousness is often ascribed to them. Joan Morgan's "Fly-Girls, Bitches, Hoes: Notes of a Hip-Hop Feminist" provides an interesting look at the hip hop scene that hits on the issues of race that many feminist discussions I have had overlooked.

Hip hop cannot be written off as "the enemy"--neither can its artists. Morgan writes that hip hop has provided a voice to blacks that have long been pushed down politically, economically, and socially. Hip hop provides a venue for black men who face heavy discrimination. Many feminists have successfully identified the link between racism and sexism--both are bad and both are caused by the (white) man. While I was in a feminist group, I heard about 10 white woman screaming, "Down with whitey?". But, Morgan reveals that it isn't always "whitey" bring blacks down and it isn't always "the man" bringing women down. Morgan discusses this when a family friend was murdered--"Her murderers were not 'skinheads', 'the man' or 'the racist power structure'". This is not to say that we "blame the victim" or that real racism and sexism don't occur, they do. But, it is to say that we need to look at issues in a more complex manner. This does not mean "ascribe false consciousness" to everyone that disagrees you. We need to look into our own communities (whatever that means) of woman, gays, lesbians, blacks, whites and first realize that our communities are not utopias. Not every black will understand each other and not every woman will understand each other. But rather than running from or outright rejecting those who come against us (especially in our own communities), Morgan urges that we seek to find understanding and love. Instead of rejecting black men as "the patriarchy" or embracing everything they do as "anti-whitey", Morgan looks for a deeper understanding. She asks the raw and honest question, "My decision to expose myself to the sexism of Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, Snoop Doggy Dog, or the Notorious B.I.G. is really my please to my brothers to tell me who they are. I need to know why they are so angry at me. Why is disrespecting me one of the few things that will make them feel like men? What are they going through on the daily that's got then acting so fucked up?" Morgan goes on to complicate the issue even more by suggesting that what feminist critics have called "machismo" in hip hop isn't so much "machismo" as "straight-up depression masquerading as machismo". Again, gender is not enough. Class, race, etc come into play. It's not simply that "hip hop men hate women and are oppressing them". Morgan reveals its partially about the pain that black men face and that this pain is only allowed to be expressed through song.

She urges woman to continue loving black men--but from a safe distance. This distance isn't for the "ivory towers of academia" however. This distance is not based on ignoring "the ways we are complicit in our own oppression" or value being right over winning. The issue isn't about making sure everyone calls themselves a feminist--it is about concrete changes in advancement (e.g. equal pay, abortion rights, sexual harassment laws… although imperfect).

Michelle Stover (MS)