What will I learn about: Mainstream feminism often prioritizes the concerns of privileged white women while ignoring foundational survival issues like food insecurity, housing, and poverty that disproportionately affect women of color?

Mainstream feminism often prioritizes the concerns of privileged white women while ignoring foundational survival issues like food insecurity, housing, and poverty that disproportionately affect women of color.

What will I learn about: Black girls frequently face adultification and are labeled as 'fast' at a young age, leading to victim-blaming and a severe lack of protection from sexual violence?

Black girls frequently face adultification and are labeled as 'fast' at a young age, leading to victim-blaming and a severe lack of protection from sexual violence.

What will I learn about: Relying on law enforcement to solve domestic abuse often harms marginalized women, who face increased risks of poverty, prosecution, or police violence when seeking help?

Relying on law enforcement to solve domestic abuse often harms marginalized women, who face increased risks of poverty, prosecution, or police violence when seeking help.

What will I learn about: For marginalized communities, reproductive rights extend far beyond abortion access to include combating high maternal mortality rates and a history of forced sterilizations?

For marginalized communities, reproductive rights extend far beyond abortion access to include combating high maternal mortality rates and a history of forced sterilizations.

What will I learn about: True feminist solidarity requires moving beyond passive allyship to become an active 'accomplice' willing to challenge white supremacy and fight for communities they do not directly belong to?

True feminist solidarity requires moving beyond passive allyship to become an active 'accomplice' willing to challenge white supremacy and fight for communities they do not directly belong to.

Hood Feminism

Notes from the Women That a Movement Forgot

Mikki Kendall

★ 4.2 / 5(166 ratings)

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Society & Culture

If You're Curious About These Questions...

You should listen to this audiobook

💡Why does author Mikki Kendall argue that basic survival needs—such as affordable housing, food security, and access to safe drinking water—must be placed at the very center of the mainstream feminist agenda?
💡How does the cultural habit of adultifying young Black girls, such as prematurely labeling them as 'fast,' contribute to a dangerous cycle of victim-blaming and disproportionate punishment in the school system?
💡What is 'carceral feminism,' and why does the book argue that relying on law enforcement and the justice system to solve gendered violence often backfires and creates even more trauma for women of color?

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Key Takeaways from Hood Feminism

✓Mainstream feminism often prioritizes the concerns of privileged white women while ignoring foundational survival issues like food insecurity, housing, and poverty that disproportionately affect women of color.
✓Black girls frequently face adultification and are labeled as 'fast' at a young age, leading to victim-blaming and a severe lack of protection from sexual violence.
✓Relying on law enforcement to solve domestic abuse often harms marginalized women, who face increased risks of poverty, prosecution, or police violence when seeking help.
✓For marginalized communities, reproductive rights extend far beyond abortion access to include combating high maternal mortality rates and a history of forced sterilizations.
✓True feminist solidarity requires moving beyond passive allyship to become an active 'accomplice' willing to challenge white supremacy and fight for communities they do not directly belong to.

Learning Tools

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Mind Map

Hood Feminism

Failure of Mainstream Feminism+

Redefining Feminist Issues+

Plight of Minority Girls+

Intersectional Rights & Safety+

Moving Forward+

Quiz — Test Your Understanding

Question 1 of 8

According to the text, what did Patricia Arquette's 2015 Academy Awards speech demonstrate about mainstream feminism?

A. It highlighted how white feminism often expects solidarity from marginalized groups without ensuring their rights are secured first.
B. It proved that the gender pay gap is the single most important issue for all women, regardless of race.
C. It showed that Hollywood has finally embraced intersectional feminist ideals and the needs of the working class.
D. It successfully bridged the gap between white feminists and LGBTQ+ communities by securing equal pay legislation.

Question 2 of 8

Why does the author argue that supposedly progressive food policies, such as soda taxes, can actually harm struggling families?

A. They distract from the more pressing issue of fast-food marketing in low-income neighborhoods.
B. They fail to recognize that for many families, soda is the safest and most affordable option due to issues like contaminated local tap water.
C. They disproportionately tax organic and health-food stores in newly gentrified neighborhoods.
D. They force women of color to spend more time cooking rather than focusing on education and career advancement.

Question 3 of 8

How does the gender pay gap for white women inadvertently contribute to the gentrification of neighborhoods?

A. White women use their lower incomes to qualify for government housing grants that were originally intended for marginalized communities.
B. Real estate developers specifically target single white women for high-end luxury apartments in low-income neighborhoods.
C. White women are paid less than white men, leading them to move into and gentrify once-affordable areas, which forces people of color out.
D. The pay gap forces white women to rely on carceral feminism to secure alimony, driving up local property taxes.

Question 4 of 8

What is the primary negative consequence of older generations labeling young Black girls as 'fast'?

A. It encourages the girls to drop out of school and pursue professional skills instead of higher education.
B. It leads to the girls being overly protected and surveilled by school resource officers and law enforcement.
C. It forces young girls to rely on harmful beauty standards like skin bleaching and lye relaxers to appear older.
D. It reinforces victim-blaming by suggesting that if a girl is sexually assaulted, her behavior or appearance is at fault.

Question 5 of 8

How does the text describe the mainstream feminist movement's typical approach to eating disorders?

A. It assumes eating disorders mainly affect white women, often overlooking girls of color whose disorders may stem from trauma.
B. It correctly identifies that eating disorders are exclusively a byproduct of the male gaze in media.
C. It focuses too heavily on the 'strong Black woman' trope to explain why women of color recover faster from eating disorders.
D. It prioritizes the treatment of eating disorders over more pressing issues like poverty and housing insecurity.

Question 6 of 8

According to the text, why does the debate around reproductive rights look different for women of color compared to privileged white feminists?

A. Women of color generally have better access to maternal healthcare but lack access to affordable birth control.
B. Women of color face severe intersecting threats, such as a dramatically higher maternal mortality rate and a recent history of forced sterilizations.
C. Privileged feminists focus heavily on forced sterilization, while women of color focus primarily on abortion access.
D. Women of color are more focused on the environmental impacts of organic food on infant development.

Question 7 of 8

What is 'carceral feminism,' and why does the author criticize it?

A. The belief that feminism should focus on the prison-industrial complex; criticized because it ignores domestic violence.
B. The push to elect more female police officers and judges; criticized because female politicians often support conservative causes.
C. The reliance on police and the justice system to solve gendered violence; criticized because involving law enforcement often brings more trauma and poverty to women of color.
D. The movement to decriminalize sex work; criticized because it fails to protect indigenous women from high murder rates.

Question 8 of 8

What distinction does Mikki Kendall make between being a feminist 'ally' and an 'accomplice'?

A. An ally actively dismantles white supremacy, while an accomplice quietly supports marginalized groups from the sidelines.
B. An ally donates money to feminist causes, while an accomplice focuses on writing scholarly feminist literature.
C. An ally focuses on voting for female political candidates, while an accomplice focuses exclusively on reforming the criminal justice system.
D. An ally often expresses passive support or engages in saviorism, while an accomplice takes direct action to challenge white supremacy and support marginalized communities.

Hood Feminism — Full Chapter Overview

1Recommendation
21 — Too often, feminism serves white women, not minorities.
32 — Progressive thinking often ignores the realities of poverty.
43 — Black girls growing up in poverty rarely get the support they need.
54 — Body image struggles especially affect Black girls.
65 — Parenting and reproductive rights look very different from the hood.
76 — Police and law enforcement comfort white feminists, but not people of color.
87 — Some white women have caused harm from platforms feminism helped them reach.
98 — Being an ally isn’t enough – you need to be an accomplice.
109 — Final summary

Hood Feminism Summary & Overview

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.

Who Should Listen to Hood Feminism?

Feminists looking to expand their horizons
Women of color who want to see change
Anyone hoping to learn about race and feminism

About the Author: Mikki Kendall

Mikki Kendall’s writing has been published by the Guardian, the Washington Post, the Boston Globe, Time, and many other outlets, and she also speaks on issues including race, feminism, and pop culture. She is a veteran and lives with her family in Chicago.

Hood Feminism

If You're Curious About These Questions...

Listen to Hood Feminism — Free Audiobook

Key Takeaways from Hood Feminism

Learning Tools

Mind Map

Quiz — Test Your Understanding

Hood Feminism — Full Chapter Overview

Hood Feminism Summary & Overview

Who Should Listen to Hood Feminism?

About the Author: Mikki Kendall

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