Feminism and racism are highly intertwined concepts in intersectional theory, focusing on the ways in which women of color in the Western World experience both sexism and racism.
According to the Western feminist movement, which seeks to end gender oppression, women of color have experienced racism both within and outside of feminist movements and have also experienced sexism within various anti-racism and civil rights movements.
In the United States, racism and sexism have affected female activists of Black, Hispanic, Native American, and Asian descent in different ways, highlighting the need for a political movement that is aware of the intersection of race and gender oppression. These experiences of racism and sexism have prevented women of color from fully partaking in such movements, but they have also led to the creation of unique forms of feminism, such as Black feminist theory and multiracial feminism, that actively work against both gender and race oppression. Similarly, transnational feminism seeks to address women's rights outside of the Western world and looks to address issues like racism, oppressive gender roles, and femicide that impact women globally.
Intersectionality
Intersectionality posits that identities are combined in a way that prevents any instance of oppression from being pinned on any individual identity one holds. It is argued that the combined societal effect of one's identities is greater than the sum of the individual effects. For example, because Black women and other women of color are marginalized by both race and gender, they are "two steps removed from [the] white male norm". Therefore, this marginalization is greater than racism and sexism individually. Importantly, women of color are well aware of experiencing multiple forms of marginalization, while white women and men of color may be less aware, depending on their own identities.
Another perspective is that of multiple jeopardy, which states that women of color, specifically Black women, are at risk for multiple forms of oppression, including race, gender, and class. Originally viewed as a "double jeopardy" focused on race and gender oppression, the concept of multiple jeopardies recognizes that oppression is multiplicative rather than additive. It acknowledges that different forms of oppression can vary in significance depending on the context. For example, within the feminist movement, women of color may prioritize race as it distinguishes them and exposes them to greater risk of racial discrimination compared to gender discrimination.
Racism in the feminist movement
In regards to the feminist movement, since women of color are marginalized by both their race and gender, they are often excluded from feminist and anti-racist movements. Mainstream feminist theory (in the United States and other developed nations) was conceived from the perspectives of white women who often actively ignored the needs of women of color, assumed them to be exempt from white women's concerns, and overgeneralized their platform to speak for “all” women. Women's suffrage movement leaders Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton worked with Frederick Douglass and other activists in the American Equal Rights Association (AERA) in 1866 in an effort to win rights for both women and African Americans, but this organization was still viewed as exclusionary to Black women due to its separate treatment of race and gender. The organization dissolved within three years of being founded due to "heated arguments" over the 15th Amendment, which gave Black men the right to vote. Many white suffragettes, particularly in the Southern U.S., harbored resentment against Black Americans, specifically men, after the 15th Amendment was passed. Despite leading suffragettes initially championing for equal rights alongside Black male activists in AERA, the resentment among white suffragettes led to renewed racism in the women's suffrage movement.