Hood Feminism: Stay Home Book Club

On Monday, January 25 from 6 to 8 PM, you can grab your beverage of choice and tune in for a digital book club and happy hour led by bbatx board member, Alex Perez-Puelles, discussing Hood Feminism: Notes from the Women that a Movement Forgot by Mikki Kendall.

The meetings will be informal (feel free to be camera on or camera off) and we’ll flow in whatever direction the conversation takes us. You must RSVP for free or by donation (keep scrolling) to receive the login link.

— WHAT WE’RE READING: HOOD FEMINISM —

Today’s feminist movement has a glaring blind spot, and paradoxically, it is women. Mainstream feminists rarely talk about meeting basic needs as a feminist issue, argues Mikki Kendall, but food insecurity, access to quality education, safe neighborhoods, a living wage, and medical care are all feminist issues. All too often, however, the focus is not on basic survival for the many, but on increasing privilege for the few. That feminists refuse to prioritize these issues has only exacerbated the age-old problem of both internecine discord, and women who rebuff at carrying the title. Moreover, prominent white feminists broadly suffer from their own myopia with regard to how things like race, class, sexual orientation, and ability intersect with gender. How can we stand in solidarity as a movement, Kendall asks, when there is the distinct likelihood that some women are oppressing others?

In her searing collection of essays, Mikki Kendall takes aim at the legitimacy of the modern feminist movement arguing that it has chronically failed to address the needs of all but a few women. Drawing on her own experiences with hunger, violence, and hypersexualization, along with incisive commentary on politics, pop culture, the stigma of mental health, and more, Hood Feminism delivers an irrefutable indictment of a movement in flux. An unforgettable debut, Kendall has written a ferocious clarion call to all would-be feminists to live out the true mandate of the movement in thought and in deed.

We recommend borrowing this book from the Austin Public Library, purchasing it from BookWoman Austin, BookPeople Austin or exploring your options at Resistencia. You can also browse this list of independent, Texan book retailers.

— ABOUT THE HOST —

Alex Perez-Puelles: Alex Perez-Puelles (she/her) is a Reproductive Justice advocate who has been in Austin for the past 3 years. When Alex isn’t working, she likes to spend her free time serving as a board and committee member to bbatx, as well as organizing events for organizations such as SXSW, Techstars, etc. She has over 5+ years of event planning experience, with a focus on concerts, festivals and conferences.