America's contract to protect white women has always been tenuous | Saida Grundy

The article discusses how white women in the United States have historically been used as a tool of racial control, particularly during the Civil Rights Movement. The author argues that white women's participation in politics has always been conditional on their loyalty to white men and their commitment to maintaining white racial dominance.

The article highlights the example of the 19th Amendment, which granted women's suffrage in the United States, but only after Black women had been excluded from the amendment's protections. The author notes that white women consistently voted against securing pathways to citizenship for immigrants, even as their own path to full citizenship was granted to reinforce and multiply white control of the country.

The article also discusses how white women have been used as a foil to Black people, with the notion of "white womanhood" being constructed as virtuous and non-racial. However, this construction is problematic, as it erases the experiences of Black women and ignores their own struggles for equality and justice.

The author argues that the racist state's concern with protecting white women from perceived threats to their racial dominance is fluid and frivolous. The article cites examples such as the fatal 2017 ICE shooting of Alex Pretti, a white ICU nurse in Minneapolis, which was labeled as a domestic terrorist attack by homeland security adviser Stephen Miller.

Overall, the article argues that white women's participation in politics has always been tied to their loyalty to white men and their commitment to maintaining white racial dominance. The author urges readers to recognize the historical and ongoing struggles of Black people for equality and justice, and to challenge the constructions of "white womanhood" that erase Black women's experiences.

The article includes spot illustrations by Mona Eing and Michael Meissner.
 
πŸ€”πŸ’β€β™€οΈ The way history is written can be super tricky πŸ“šπŸ˜¬. We often see white women as strong, independent, and heroic πŸ‘©β€πŸ’ͺ but what about the role they played in keeping racism alive? 🌟 It's like they were given a prize for being loyal to the system 🎁, even if it meant excluding Black women from equal rights πŸ”’.

The 19th Amendment was all about full citizenship, but who got to decide that? 🀝 White men, clearly πŸ’Ό. And now we see how white women are used as a "foil" to Black people πŸ‘€, like they're the good guys in a racial game 🎲.

But the article is saying that this construction of "white womanhood" is super problematic 🚫 because it erases Black women's struggles πŸ”₯. It's time to see the whole picture 🌐 and not just paint white women as heroes πŸ’–. We need to talk about how racism works in politics 🀝 and create a more inclusive society where everyone gets an equal shot πŸ‘
 
πŸ€” I was reading about this crazy thing with white women in the US and I'm still trying to wrap my head around it... so they get all this power and privilege, but only if they keep their racism at bay, you know? Like, it's conditional on them being loyal to these dudes who are keeping them "safe". πŸ€·β€β™€οΈ

It's wild that the suffrage movement was basically about women getting rights, but only for white women. I mean, what about Black women? What about Latinx women? It feels like they were left behind, ignored. And now we're still seeing this stuff going on today... where they're using "white womanhood" as this virtuous thing that erases all the struggles of Black women. 🚫

It just feels like these white women are being used to keep their own power and privilege at bay. Like, they need to be worried about losing their spot in society, so they're gonna do whatever it takes to keep those racists at the top. And meanwhile, Black people are still fighting for equality and justice... 🀝
 
idk how i'm just now reading this article lol πŸ€¦β€β™€οΈ, but i think its super insightful about how white women have been used as a tool of racial control. i mean think about it, we've been conditioned to believe that "white womanhood" is all about being virtuous and non-racial, but really its just a way to silence Black women's voices and experiences. its like, we're only supposed to care about equality and justice for ourselves, not for others πŸ€·β€β™€οΈ. i do think its problematic that white women have consistently voted against securing pathways to citizenship for immigrants, even though they were given full citizenship themselves just so we'd be less of a threat to them πŸ™„. anyway, thanks for breaking this down, article πŸ‘
 
I'm so done with how we're still not acknowledging the role white women have played in maintaining racial control, especially during the Civil Rights Movement. It's like, they got to vote and participate in politics but only if it didn't challenge their own privilege πŸ€¦β€β™€οΈ. The fact that Black women were excluded from the suffrage amendment is wild. And don't even get me started on how white women have used their privilege to silence Black voices and erase our experiences πŸ’”. We need to be talking about this more, especially in our communities where we can support each other. It's time for us to recognize our own complicity in perpetuating systems of oppression 🌎
 
🀝 I don't think we should be too hard on white women, you know? They've been used as a tool of racial control before, but they're also human beings with their own struggles and biases. It's like, we can acknowledge that they've historically voted against the rights of immigrants and Black people without labeling them as racist or evil. I mean, think about it, if white women had been included in the 19th Amendment, things might have turned out differently... but let's not forget, their own path to full citizenship was still rooted in maintaining racial dominance. It's all so complex! 😊
 
I'm not sure I buy into this whole idea that white women have been 'used' as a tool of racial control... seems kinda simplistic to me πŸ€”. Like, they're just trying to survive in a system that's stacked against them? It's not all about loyalty to men or whatever. But then again, the way Black women are always erased from these conversations is pretty messed up πŸ‘Ž. And what's with this whole 'white womanhood' thing? Is it even real? πŸ€·β€β™‚οΈ
 
They use White women as a tool for control because they're supposed to care about family & country, not actual justice πŸ’”πŸ‘©β€πŸ³ But honestly, when it comes down to it, their 'concern' is all about maintaining the power of white men πŸ€₯
 
omg I just got a new phone πŸ“± and it came with this weird setting where my phone says I'm in a country but like I think that might be wrong πŸ€”, can someone help me figure out how to change it? πŸ™…β€β™€οΈ

anyway, I saw this article about white women and racism and I'm still trying to wrap my head around it... so like, what's the deal with white womanhood being all virtuous and stuff? doesn't that just sound like a bunch of BS to you? πŸ’β€β™€οΈ I mean, isn't the idea of "white womanhood" just used to control black women and keep them from having a voice? πŸ€·β€β™€οΈ

and can someone explain to me why there's still so much inequality between white people and people of color in this country? like, I know it's not a simple issue but isn't progress supposed to be happening or something? πŸ€¦β€β™€οΈ
 
πŸ€” I'm really shook by this revelation about white women being used as a tool of racial control. It's wild to think that our so-called allies have been working against us all along πŸ™…β€β™€οΈ. And the fact that Black women are erased from history and their experiences ignored is just devastating 😭. We need to acknowledge the harm that has been done and work towards creating a more inclusive and equitable society for everyone, regardless of racial background πŸŒŽπŸ’–. It's time for us to take a closer look at our own privilege and how it's impacting others πŸ’ͺ.
 
omg you guys, i'm so done with how we're always being told that white women are the victims here when it comes to racism but like can't we see how they've been using their privilege for centuries?! 🀯 it's all about maintaining power and control over black people and now even other communities. and don't even get me started on how our history books have conveniently left out or distorted the experiences of black women πŸ™…β€β™€οΈ. meanwhile, white women get to claim victimhood while erasing the struggles of those who've been fighting for equality alongside them all along. it's time we call out this hypocrisy and center the voices of those who've been marginalized for far too long πŸ’ͺ
 
πŸ€” I think it's crazy how historically white women have been used as a way to keep racial control in place during the Civil Rights Movement. It's like, their value was tied to being "good" white women, not actually fighting for equality or justice. And now we're still seeing this play out today - they vote against policies that would benefit immigrants and other marginalized groups just because it goes against their own privilege. 🚫 It's like, what's the point of having a 19th Amendment if you're just going to use it to further oppress others? πŸ˜’
 
I'm still trying to wrap my head around the fact that we're still having this conversation in 2025 🀯. It's crazy to think that, even with all the progress made, white women are still being used as a tool of racial control. The way they've been excluded from pathways to citizenship for immigrants is just baffling - it's like they're trying to reinforce their own privilege while claiming to be fighting for equality πŸ™„.

I love how the article highlights the example of Black women and how they've always been erased from these conversations. It's not just about white womanhood being virtuous, it's about erasing the experiences of entire communities. We need to be calling out this racism and challenging these constructions that ignore Black people's struggles.

And can we talk about how ridiculous it is that Alex Pretti was labeled a domestic terrorist? Like, come on! πŸ€·β€β™€οΈ It's just another example of how the system is still trying to control and silence marginalized voices. We need to be vigilant and keep pushing for justice and equality for all people - regardless of their skin color or identity πŸ’ͺ
 
I don't know how anyone can celebrate this stuff... I mean, think about it, white women get all these privileges and rights, but they're only good for one thing: keeping white men in power πŸ€”. It's like, what even is the point of having equal rights if you're just gonna use 'em to maintain the status quo? And don't even get me started on how they always vote against people who aren't white... it's like, they're supposed to be some kind of heroes or something πŸ™„. I'm not saying that all white women are racist, but come on, let's not pretend like they're not complicit in this whole thing too. And another thing, what's up with the way they're always portrayed as these virtuous, non-racial beings? It's just a way to erase Black women's experiences and struggles πŸ’”. I mean, can't we just talk about this stuff without all the drama and hand-wringing? πŸ™ƒ
 
πŸ€” this is a super insightful piece about how white women have been used as a tool of racial control in the US πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡Έ it's crazy to think that their participation in politics has always been conditional on their loyalty to white men and maintaining white dominance πŸ’Ό

i mean, think about it - 19th Amendment grants women's suffrage, but only after Black women are excluded from its protections? That's some messed up history right there πŸ€¦β€β™€οΈ meanwhile, white women consistently vote against immigration pathways for everyone else, but not for themselves... that's just wild πŸ€ͺ

and can we talk about the whole "white womanhood" thing? It's literally constructed to erase Black women's experiences and struggles πŸ’” I mean, who decides what it means to be a "good" white woman, anyway? It's all just a bunch of performative allyship for some folks πŸ‘€
 
πŸ€” thinkin about this is like reflectin on a big ol mirror - it shows us all the flaws in our own reflection. we think we're all equal, but the truth is, there's been a systematic erasure of black women's voices and experiences. it's like, we talk about feminism and equality, but we forget that whiteness is still a powerful construct that's got its own set of rules. white women may not be as overtly racist as some men, but their complicity in maintaining the status quo is still problematic. we gotta keep callin out these subtle forms of oppression and work towards creating a more inclusive space for everyone. πŸ’–
 
I was reading about how white women were like a special kind of tool back in the day during the Civil Rights Movement 🀯. Like, they used to be all about supporting their white dudes and keeping those Black folks down 🚫. And get this - even when it came to voting rights for themselves, they still managed to screw it up so that only white people could get full citizenship πŸ’Έ. But what's even more wild is how they got portrayed as these virtuous, non-racial beings πŸ‘©β€πŸƒ. Like, that's just code for "we're gonna erase all the struggles of Black women and pretend like everything is okay πŸ€·β€β™€οΈ". And now we've got some people saying that the system isn't even worried about protecting white women because it's all fluid and frivolous πŸ’β€β™€οΈ. I mean, what's more frivolous than using a woman to keep another woman down? πŸ˜‚. Anyway, gotta say, this article is making me think a lot about how our history has been, like, super messed up 🀯.
 
I'm not sure about this claim about white women being used as a tool of racial control during the Civil Rights Movement. It seems like it's based on some pretty shaky ground. I mean, what's with all these assumptions about white women being "loyal" to white men? What are the sources for that? And how do we even define "white womanhood"? Is it really as monolithic as the article makes it out to be?

And another thing, if we're going to talk about systemic racism and inequality, let's at least acknowledge that there's been some pretty significant progress made by white women in terms of women's rights and social justice. I mean, we can't just erase their contributions without giving them some credit.

I'm not saying that white women have never held racist or oppressive views – of course they have. But can we really reduce the complexities of racism and politics to a simplistic narrative about "white women" being a monolithic force? It feels like we're missing the point here... πŸ€”
 
I think it's pretty messed up how white women have been used as a tool for racial control in the US πŸ€•. Like, they've always been conditioned to prioritize white men's interests over Black people's needs. The way that Black women were excluded from the 19th Amendment is still haunting us today. It's like, we're celebrating this huge milestone in women's suffrage, but only if it didn't include Black women.

And let's be real, white women have consistently voted against policies that would help immigrants and people of color, even as they were given their own path to citizenship πŸ€·β€β™€οΈ. It's like, what's the point of having equal rights if you're just going to use them to reinforce your own privilege?

It's also super problematic how white womanhood is constructed as virtuous and non-racial. Like, that erases Black women's experiences and ignores their struggles for equality and justice πŸ’β€β™€οΈ. We need to recognize the history of racism and keep pushing for real change, not just tokenistic gestures.

I'm so tired of seeing white people get a free pass on their complicity in systemic racism πŸ™„. It's time to hold ourselves accountable and use our privilege to amplify Black voices πŸ’ͺ.
 
I'm still trying to wrap my head around how the US government managed to create a system where white women get all the perks and then some, while Black women are still fighting for scraps 🀯. I mean, think about it - they granted women's suffrage in 1920, but only if they agreed to keep it that way... meanwhile, Black women were like "girl, bye". And don't even get me started on immigration - white women just voted against giving other people a chance at citizenship because why fix what ain't broke? πŸ™„

The thing is, this whole "white womanhood" construction is super problematic. It's like they think we're supposed to be these perfect little angels who care about everyone else's problems except our own... meanwhile Black women are dealing with systemic racism and police brutality while white women get to worry about their privilege πŸ€·β€β™€οΈ.

The ICE shooting example is just wild - if it happened to a Black woman, I'm sure homeland security would be all over it like white on rice. But because Alex Pretti was white, suddenly she's a domestic terrorist? Like, what even is that? πŸ˜‚

Anyway, the article makes some great points about how white women have always been tied to their loyalty to white men and maintaining racial dominance... I mean, it's about time we start recognizing this history and calling out these systems of oppression. We need more stories like this one to get people talking πŸ“£
 
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