In this essay, I propose that feminism still predominantly focuses on the experiences and knowledge of white women, by examining the “Tweets” using the #SolidarityIsForWhiteWomen hash-tag. In August of 2013, blogger Mikki Kendall created the hash-tag #SolidarityIsForWhiteWomen. Kendall created the hash-tag in order to address feminisms’ lack of inclusion of the experiences and narratives of women of colour. Soon after the hash-tag was created, it was quickly trending across the world. Twitter users were using #SolidarityIsForWhiteWomen to advocate for solidarity among all race, class, and gender identities. Early movements of feminism worked on attaining equality between heterosexual white women and heterosexual white men within the existing system while disregarding the struggles of women of colour and other marginalized groups. Solidarity has been constructed to exist predominantly within white feminist circles. #SolidarityIsForWhiteWomen was created by Kendall to address the longstanding history of silencing, erasing, and condescension of the voices of women of colour in feminism and Twitter users worldwide were using the hash-tag to reclaim their voices. In order to elaborate on the arguments in the #SolidarityIsForWhiteWomen “Tweets,” I also analyze various examples in the media and popular culture; as well as current feminist movements which illustrate the exclusion of the voices of women of colour and other marginalized groups. I argue that, although solidarity within feminism is still exclusively for white women, it does not have to be. I contend that feminism must be intersectional and be inclusive of all people regardless of class, gender, race, or orientation identities. In this paper, I argue that solidarity was, and is still, for white women, but if we listen, respect, analyze, and support the narratives and experiences of others across multiple class, gender, and race identities -it doesn’t have to be.
