a letter from the editor

turning the tide

krista jacob

The vision for Sexing the Political: A Journal of Third wave Feminists on Sexuality first began taking shape during the seventh month of my pregnancy. For medical reasons, my doctor restricted me to bed rest, and I suddenly found myself in the unfamiliar position of having an abundance of free time. Overwhelmed by the possibilities, I began thumbing through my favorite feminist anthologies, zines, and journals. With my elevated feet resting on a stack of fluffy white pillows, the idea for an online journal slowly began to unfold.

I began to share my nascent idea with family and friends, and though it was met with great enthusiasm, I was bombarded with a deluge of questions.

What exactly is third wave feminism?
Around which issues do third wave feminists coalesce?
Is it really a social movement?
What exactly is a third wave perspective on sexuality?

I’m sure that many of you share these same questions. So rather than attempt to answer these questions myself, I am instead posing them to the contributors and readers of this journal. Please see the call for contributions if you are interested in sharing your creative thoughts and artistic work with us.

Each month Sexing the Political will feature an organization that is doing exceptional work with regard to the sexual healing and empowerment of young women. Please contact us if you would like to nominate an organization.

Feminist movements are often described in terms of "waves." The first wave refers to the suffragettes, the second wave refers to the women’s liberation movement of the 1960s and 1970s, and the third wave refers to contemporary feminist activism. The problem with this terminology is that it reflects a heterosexual white middle class bias. For example, while anthologies like Words of Fire: An Anthology of African-American Feminist Thought document decades of important African-American women’s theory and activism - particularly occurring during the period between the first and second wave - their work is not recognized as a "wave" of feminism. Instead Black women’s history remains on the margins of the margins.

Turning the tide of third wave feminism requires that we challenge theoretical traps that treat "women" as a monolithic category and fail to embrace the diversity of women’s experiences. Pauli Murray reminds us that:

When we compare the position of the black woman to that of the white woman, we find that she remains single more often, bears more children, is in the labor market longer and in greater proportion, has less education, earns less, is widowed earlier, and carries a relatively heavier economic responsibility as family head than her white counterpart.

Being blind to the lives of those who are subjected to multiple layers of oppression is one of the dangerous magnets of privilege.

In the spirit of Black history month, we should revisit this neglected history, and work to create a feminist politics of inclusion.

Please see our "question of the month" to share ways that you are working to raise awareness around issues of race, class, sexual orientation, etc. within feminism.

The vision of this journal does not belong solely to me. On the contrary, it has been (and will continue to be) informed by the collective voices of those who choose to participate in its evolution. It is intended to be a living, breathing documentation of the cacophonous voices of my generation’s take on feminism and women’s sexuality.

And, finally, for all of the merits of the internet, we must remember that it takes real political work – in the form of direct action – to change entrenched power systems like patriarchy, white supremacy, class elitism, and heterosexism. Please forward any relevant action alerts and political announcements to editor, and I will post them on our "Action Alert" page. With the new presidential administration, our activism is more necessary than ever.

I look forward to hearing from you!

Krista Jacob
editor and publisher
Sexing the Political: A Journal of Third Wave Feminists on Sexuality

 site map   |  volume 1 number 2, June 2001