Ain't I a Feminist?: African American Men Speak Out on Fatherhood, Friendship, Forgiveness, and Freedom Book

I'll follow researcher and author Aaronette M. White's example and begin with my own limitations and biases. I am mostly white, and I am a feminist woman. I chose to read and review this book expressly because I haven't met many black men who call themselves feminists, and I thought Ain't I a Feminist? would help broaden my horizons'and it really did.

White's book not only showed me that African American men can be feminists (a conclusion she was more skeptical about than I was), but that many of them are far more evolved in their feminist development than I am. Furthermore, I realized that in making this personal observation in the first paragraph of my review of her book, I am exercising my white privilege and not acting like a very good feminist! Ain't I a Feminist? should prove to be an equally eye-opening and empowering read for anyone interested in the interconnectedness of oppressions, the awakening of social consciousness, the call to activism, and the impact of sexism on children and families.

Ain't I a Feminist? is the result of feminist psychologist and social scientist White's in-depth, in-person interviews with self-identified feminist African American men. Through the course of her research, White learned that even men who had grown up in abusive households and become abusers themselves could'through friendships with feminist women, gay and bisexual men, and through ongoing self-reflection'become committed and effective womanists, feminists, and anti-sexist and anti-violence activists. The book is organized according to common themes White found running through the men's narratives, and is enriched with stories told in her subjects' own words. Their stories reveal wounding run-ins with sexism and power, life-changing turning points, and inspiring forays into activism and critical self-reflection.

White's skepticism and her own self-criticism made her results feel all the more convincing. It was heartening to see the number of negative experiences that were transformed into positive action, and to see the arcs of the men's lives as they moved from ignorance to activism. This book made me want to take action, as the men in the book took action, to struggle with and work against my own privilege.

Review by Ari Moore