White racial imperialism granted white women the right to oppress black women and men.

Evidence

While white women rarely physically assaulted black male slaves, they tortured and persecuted black females. Their alliance with white men on the common ground of racism enabled them to ignore the anti-woman impulse that also motivated attacks on black women. — bell hooks, Ain’t I a Woman_ Black Women and…, 119 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

The social status of white women in America has to a large extent been determined by white people’s relationship to black people. It was the enslavement of African people in colonized America that marked the beginning of a change in the social status of white women. Prior to slavery, patriarchal law decreed white women were lowly inferior beings, the subordinate group in society. The subjugation of black people allowed them to vacate their despised position and assume the role of a superior. — bell hooks, Ain’t I a Woman_ Black Women and…, 449 (#expands, via linked claim)

Most women involved in the recent move toward a feminist revolution assume that white women have initiated all feminist resistance to male chauvinism in American society, and further assume that black women are not interested in women’s liberation. While it is true that white women have led every movement toward feminist revolution in American society, their dominance is less a sign of black female disinterest in feminist struggle than an indication that the politics of colonization and racial imperialism have made it historically impossible for black women in the United States to lead a women’s movement. — bell hooks, Ain’t I a Woman_ Black Women and…, 464 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Racial imperialism let white women act as oppressors of black people despite sexism; Colonial rule rewarded mixed-bloods according to their degree of whiteness.; Devaluation of black women was a deliberate method of social control — bell hooks, Ain’t I a Woman_ Black Women and…, 191 (+18 more)

Related

• Racial imperialism let white women act as oppressors of black people despite sexism (similarity 0.93)
• White dominance in feminism reflects racial imperialism, not black disinterest (similarity 0.88)
• White feminist organizing surged in reaction to black men gaining rights. (similarity 0.87)
• White women hold privileges exceeding all US groups except white men. (similarity 0.87)
• White feminists pursued work rights only for white women workers (similarity 0.86)
• American women perpetuate the very racism and sexism that oppress them (similarity 0.86)
• White feminists dismissed black women’s attention to racial difference (similarity 0.86)
• Sexual exploitation dehumanized black women more than labor exploitation did (similarity 0.85)
• Black men asserted dominance over women to compensate for losing to white men (similarity 0.85)
• Sexism and racial imperialism jointly formed the base of American social structure. (similarity 0.85)
• White women appropriated feminism to gain entry into American capitalism. (similarity 0.85)
• Sexism and racism were twin oppressive forces in black women’s slave experience (similarity 0.85)
• Black women experienced sexist oppression distinct from racism (similarity 0.85)
• Feminism must combat domination across sex, race, and class, not just male chauvinism (similarity 0.85)
• White women’s rights appeals exploited racism against black men (similarity 0.85)

Broader Connections

• White women allied with white men on shared racism against Black women #corroborates (0.85) — bell hooks, Ain’t I a Woman_ Black Women and…, 119
• White dominance in feminism reflects racial imperialism, not black disinterest #corroborates (0.70) — bell hooks, Ain’t I a Woman_ Black Women and…, 464
• Slavery elevated white women’s social status above black people #expands (0.70) — bell hooks, Ain’t I a Woman_ Black Women and…, 449
• White feminists appropriated slave suffering to advance their own cause. #corroborates (0.65) — bell hooks, Ain’t I a Woman_ Black Women and…, 368
• Black women organized separately after white women’s racism barred them #expands (0.60)
• Liberation modeled on white male power inherently divides women from each other. #expands (0.60) — bell hooks, Ain’t I a Woman_ Black Women and…, 456
• Colonial rule rewarded mixed-bloods according to their degree of whiteness. #corroborates (0.55)
• White feminists dismissed black women’s attention to racial difference #expands (0.55)
• Devaluation of black women was a deliberate method of social control #corroborates (0.50) — bell hooks, Ain’t I a Woman_ Black Women and…, 191
• Sexism and racism jointly founded the American social order from colonization #corroborates (0.50)