Matrix Of Domination Summary

Summary/Common Threads of Authors’ Arguments
In essence, all of the readings for this week had something to do with feminism and equality for women which makes sense because the unit was titled critical race feminist theories, however, the authors this week went deeper than just giving dictionary definitions or generic examples of these topics. This week’s readings were women writing about real world scenarios and instances of women. To elaborate, the Black Feminist Thought in the Matrix of Domination reading by Collins is about how Black women are oppressed in society and they are fighting norms and changing how they are being treated my increasing their knowledge through education. The Heteropatriarchy and the Three Pillars of White Supremacy
A common theme prevalent was that people who are treated unfairly by society had to be the ones to go out and show people that they want to be treated better because not everyone knew they were being treated unfairly. By individuals going out and fighting for what they want to be changed, it actually makes the change happen and people join the fight they believe in because they realize they are not alone. They are demanding change to take place, are going against societal norms, and are being who they truly are rather than hiding their identity. Social justice issues are the reason why people have to work so hard to be treated fairly and like a human being. Social justice issues are something that people must live and fight with every day due to one’s ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, or social class. Social justice issues of racism, sexism, or classism, to name a few, lead individuals to be oppressed. People have such a hard time accepting what is different than how they believe or were told aspects of life should be. As a result of this, they respond to what is different by acting like it does not exist or by treating it unfairly. Society was built and influenced by white supremacy which is inevitably why social justice issues take place. In order to end social justice issues, people must realize that they are helping to keep
129) he argues that in our future studies, there will be decolonial gendered history, “with perspectives that do not deny, dismiss, or negate what is unfamiliar, but instead honors the differences between and among us.” This particular argument ties in well with the ColorLines article and videos on race and intersectionality which help us understand the importance of organizing across difference rather than the dominant/hegemonic US'ian idea of organizing around sameness. In the ColorLines article and videos, each of the interviewees was not just female or male, not just heterosexual or homosexual, and not just this or that. No person is just one thing, people are complex and have many aspects that make them who they are and they cannot, nor want to, choose to be just one of them. However, the way in which society is set up, people usually have to choose one of their identities over the others which has to do with organizing around sameness rather than differentness. There are certain settings where being a woman is a key feature for someone, such as which bathroom they should use in public or a setting where sexuality would be key feature would be in church possibly. People cannot use any public restroom they desire due to unspoken rules set in place and people do not bring up their sexuality in church so they are not dammed to hell. What should be noted it that these organizing groups all happen in public because