The political term “women of color” surfaced in the violence against women movement in the late seventies to unify all women experiencing multiple layers of marginalization with race and ethnicity as a common issue. In recent years, the term has been questioned by many for valid reasons related to personal identity and definition, and because the word “color” is not the primary issue for many women with shared ethnicity and race.
We acknowledge these concerns. However, in our work and practice, the term “women of color” is intended to transcend shades of color and is intended to unite those of us with the following shared global experiences with relationship to varied Western and European-based cultures:
Race, Class, Gender-based Oppression and all Intersections
Militarism, Targets of War and Police State
Displacement
Loss of Autonomy
Violence as the Norm
Stolen Legacy
Economic Disenfranchisement
Cultural/Racial Appropriation and Genocide
We welcome all women of Asian/Pacific Islander, Arab/Middle-Eastern, Black/African, Native/Indigenous, and Hispanic/Latin descent and hope you will join us in rising above language for unity.