I am responding to Smith's "Introduction to Home Girls" because I am a young white woman with many African-American friends. I feel that as a non-biased individual in order to truely understand where my friends thoughts and viewpoints are coming from and being fueled by. While I already had an inclination of what some of Smith's thoughts and words would be I felt myself stangely moved by them. She was quick to denounce any myths that undermine the colored feminist movement in a way that left out the feeling of disgust or angst that I often hear in my friends voices. Smith is very sucessful in proving her thesis: Black feminism, or any feminism for that matter, is legitimate. .
By addressing misconceptions and providing the truth about colored feminism, she is allowing unknowing individuals a look into the real trials and tribulations in their movement. Smith tells of how Black women were not born liberated and goes on to tell that their strength is one of inner strength from having to rise above adversity and inhumane conditions. The lives of the colored womans anestors should paint such a clear picture I do not understand how these myths came to be. From the day they were crought to this country they were in-slaved, treated like animals, but they found their strength some how and kept fighting through the slavery and later segregation and equal rights.this is where these women learned to be "Liberated." The next myth and last myth I am going to address is that feminists are man-haters. Now if one didnt know already Smith explains this is an attack on the feminist movement as a whole. Her clear distinction between "being critically opposed to sexual oppression and simply hating men"(Smith 33). and her bold assertion on the increasing violence towards women makes me laugh that Feminists are known as man-haters. Well we should have more than enough cause to be, but then again who (especially men) take the sides of the "weaker" of the sexes.