Why you should care about Melissa Harris Lacewell

To all who have followed the very beginnings of this blog thank you for not abandoning us…we’re back! Ladi and I were discussing some of the affirming comments that were left on one of her first posts and we reflected on the potential of our efforts. We’re grateful for the use of this blog to hold the necessary space to speak our truths and dialogue around these issues. As a white woman I am extremely grateful not only to this community, but to the many spaces and communities I turn to for support, guidance and solidarity.

Our inspiration for the blog originated from classroom discussions, which became so pivotal not only in validating our voices, our truths, but in expanding our consciousness & forming a beloved community able to offer refuge after periods of isolation.

When I approached Ladi and Alicia about the creation of the blog I was fired up by the work of Melissa Harris Lacewell and Yolanda Pierce, two Black women professors at Princeton University and their blog called The Kitchen Table or TKT for short.

As of July 7th, 2009 Harris Lacewell has officially retired from her place at TKT. I am a big fan of Harris Lacewell and an avid follower of her on Facebook and Twitter. Her appearance on Democracy Now! debating Gloria Steinem is how I became familiar with her work. More than just being a fan though I am fascinated by the significance of her presence and how she uses social networking and blogging to hold a virtual space for dialogue. Not only is she teaching us and setting an example on how to do it (evidence Speaking Our Truths blog), but the work of Harris Lacewell and others is actually redefining the tradition of the narrative and access to information–efforts that were the focus of multi-racial feminism and traditional text.

TKT was a unique haven to multi-racial feminists in the cyber blogging world for many reasons. I recommended it to all of my friends because it is politically smart and socially aware. Tell me who else was critiquing Hillary Clinton and going head to head with Gloria Steinem in defense of Barack Obama? Along with the a critique of the racism exerted by the Clinton campaign, Harris Lacewell and Pierce spoke out on issues from a perspective that is not welcome or encouraged at many other media tables. That perspective is inclusive of personal experience and intellectual knowledge. It analyzes the intersection of race, class, gender, sexuality, age, etc and dissects how privilege and social hierarchies function in our society. Basically it is a whole lotta truth speaking!

In addition to generous amounts of knowledge that was imparted to the readers there was the underlying personal narrative of the blog that made it so special. These women were writing not just because they were informed about a topic or an issue, but because of a personal connection. It embodied the personal as political and the political as personal.

Why is this important? Well, for many reasons. As two professors they were altering who typically has access to resources by using a blog to relay information. The Internet is accessible not only in homes (for those who can afford it and privileged enough to own a computer), but also in schools and libraries. It is also essential that these are two black women who while working within the institution are working against the system simultaneously. The act of writing itself is pivotal when we come from a history where a Black person with an education was seen as dangerous to today where schools that primarily teach Black and Brown students are in deteriorating conditions, underfunded, and have minimal resources is no coincidence.

The Black narrative historically documents not only oppression, but also survival and resistance. Although I am not exactly sure how third wave multi-racial feminism emerged based on my knowledge I would argue that 3rd wave feminists used a model of the Black narrative to shape identity politics.

Texts such as This Bridge Called My Back are groundbreaking because here are radical, lesbian women of color vocalizing and printing what has kept them maybe not only isolated from each other because of social norms and hierarchies, but also oppressed and exploited in society. Within their words and pages there are so many validating experiences for the readers. That is one reason I love books and writings because for so many people we feel so alone in our communities, within our own families, but then truth is discovered from one to another. It is these spaces that sustain us, which we thrive from. One person sharing their truth can indefinitely change another’s opinion of themselves, of another person or group, or of how structural inequalities work. Just one voice CAN do that.

Why did I focus then, specifically on Harris Lacewell? I feel that she is continuing and contributing to the work of our ancestors-Adrienne Rich, Audre Lorde, Gloria Anzaldua, Cherrie Moraga, among others because she offered another layer to identify politics although no, she’s not a poet (that we know of.) I was saddened that she left her place on TKT, although I don’t blame her. Her accessibility divulges her busy life as a public figure, devoted mother, author, campaigning for her boyfriend, James Perry, running for Mayor of New Orleans, her research and advocacy for the victims of Katrina & NOLA, her dedication for her students at Princeton and the list goes on and on.

BUT I felt like TKT was a space created by two activists, advocates, public figures, professors who recognized the vitality of a community. There is no other blog out there that I have found similar to TKT. How many of us doing this work often feel so alone in a world where so many people are already disconnected from each other? What we need is strength and support, acceptance, advice, patience and each other. So be it blogs or Facebook, twitter or books, whatever, however let us gather for each other, for ourselves.