Women’s issues should be a concern for all women
No Name Comedy /
Variety 26th Anniversary
Show in Queens
Caribbean Life, Feb. 28-Mar. 5, 2020 47
By Terri Schlichenmeyer
A sea of people.
That’s what you saw, overlooking
the crowd at the rally
you attended. More people,
perhaps, than you’d ever seen
in one place before, all gathered
together for one ultimate
cause. Or were they? In the
new book “Hood Feminism”
by Mikki Kendall, look again:
was that sea of people mostly
white?
Chances are, says Kendall, if
it was a women’s event, many
were. White feminists “can lean
in,” but they sometimes don’t
“show up when Black women”
have different issues to deal
with. Feminism, she says, can’t
“forget that a movement that
claims to be for all women”
must “engage with the obstacles
women who are not white
face.”
“And when we act as allies,”
she says, “feminists have to be
willing to listen to and respect
those we want to help.”
That includes understanding
that guns have a lot to do with
feminism because poor women
and Women of Color are “more
likely to be victims of gun violence.”
It includes knowing
that hunger and homelessness
are painful realities for
many Black women, and that
it doesn’t help to make either
seem like they were the result
of “bad choices.”
Respect means that victims
of abuse and sexual harassment
are not blamed for their
clothing, job, or hairstyle. It
means never asking what they
were drinking when they were
assaulted. It means the end of
hypersexualizing young Black
girls and women. It means
accepting their unique beauty,
without politicizing hair or
body shape, and without comment.
This also, by the way,
extends to trans women of any
color.
Feminism for all means
that we ignore fear and misconceptions
of “the hood.” It
means that we must “unteach
the normalization of violence
against women.” It demands
that we confront family and
friends who hold racist ideals.
It means supporting health
measures for women and their
children. It means voting for
the good of all women, and it
requires that allies occasionally
“stop, step back, and realize
they are still part of the
problem.”
In tackling “Hood Feminism,”
there may come a time
when a reader finds it necessary
to split the narrative.
On one hand, author Mikki
Kendall offers exactly what she
promises: an uncomfortable
truth, because it’s necessary
and because she’s kind, and
laying out this information is
a sort of kindness. The things
she points out are vital for
people who profess to be “feminists”
to know, and while that
may not be any fun, neither
is ignorance. Fingers out of
your ears, think of this book,
maybe, as consciousness-raising
workshop plus personal
intervention.
On the other hand, however,
Kendall paints white women
with a mile-wide, ten-feet-tall
brush of condemnation, that
may or may not be fair. Yes,
these are words that white
women need to hear... and yes,
they’re also somewhat overgeneralized.
Still, keep in mind that this
is a book to help, not to censure,
and even though it stings,
you’ll be glad you read it. Find
“Hood Feminism.” It offers an
ocean of thoughts to ponder.
“Hood Feminism: Notes
from the Women That a
Movement Forgot” by
Mikki Kendall
c.2020, Viking $26.00
/ $35.00
Canada
267 pages
Book cover of “Hood Feminism” by Mikki Kendall
Producer Eric Vetter celebrates
the 26th anniversary
of his No Name Comedy /
Variety Show with a cast of
longtime friends including:
storyteller / author Michele
Carlo (Fish Out Of Agua: My
life on neither side of the
(subway) tracks), comedian/
author/pundit Leighann Lord
(Real Women Do It Standing
Up), illusionist Lee Alan
Barrett (Coney Island Circus
Sideshow), actor / comedian
Aladdin Ullah (Dishwasher
Dreams) and musical guests
BinderSuze (piano-vocal
duo Richard Binder and Alex
DeSuze), at the renowned
performing arts, crafts,
entertainment and teaching
space, Q.E.D. Astoria on Friday,
Feb. 28, 2020 at 7:30
pm.
Admission to the multicultural
mix of music, comedy
and variety is $10.00 (no purchase
minimum). For tickets
and QED information, go to:
qedastoria.com
Vetter, who will be joined
by co-hosts Aimee Wheeler
and Mike Sgroi, says “being
the longest-running show
is pretty cool. I knew we’d
be fine once we got out of
the awkward teen years. All
that bad poetry and hating
your parents gets tiring,” he
added.
Owner Kambri Crews
describes Q.E.D. as an afterschool
space for grownups:
“We offer affordable classes
and shows that are as diverse
as Queens itself. You’ll find
arts and crafts, standup
comedy, tastings, DIY
projects, poetry slams, game
nights, walking tours, storytelling,
gardening, improv,
and everything in between.”
Performers subject to
change. Doors open at 7:00
pm. Q.E.D. is located at
27-16 23rd Avenue in Astoria,
N.Y. Take the “N” or “W”
subway to the Ditmars Blvd.
station. For more No Name
information, contact: (347)
885-3466 / NoNameNYC@
hotmail.com.
/qedastoria.com
/hotmail.com
