How Womanism Helps Us Learn to Love Ourselves: A Pathway to Self-Love, Spirituality, and Empowerment
Learn to love yourself with womanism
Although the term womanism was coined in 1984 by Alice Walker, there have been many Black women who were always womanists even though there was not a word for it. It showed in their activism and what they stood for. Womanists are the ultimate girls girl because they put women’s culture first. They are interested most in women and privilege the wisdom of women.
This was also during an era when the term intersectionality was coined by professor Kimberle Crenshaw. She too noticed that there was a lack of legal distinction when it came to Black women. The issues of race were centered around Black men, and the issues of gender were centered around white women. Womanism was Black women’s response to this. Indeed, in a world where you are pushed out, you have to create your own, making a way out of no way.
What is Womanism?
Womanism is a framework of living. It has a focus on women’s relationships’, whether that be romantic or platonic. It focuses on the ephemeral quality of language - you can never quite find a definition of womanism. It is not a thing but a way of living. A declaration of how to move in this world. Womanism goes beyond an understanding of patriarchy as strictly along gender lines. Womanism knows that patriarchy means gender (as well as other identifiers, like ability and race) play a role in shaping what opportunities are afforded to us.
Womanism is tasked with making a way out of no way. When conventional wisdom tells you to go left, womanism will say go right instead. Since Black women are the creators of this framework, it allows you a peek into how some Black women see and navigate this world.
Its origin is in the church and it spread as a result of the misogynoir that was so common in religious spaces. Many of the women were actively discouraged from taking on leadership roles within their communities, which is an issue that still haunts Black folks in 2024.
Alice Walker and the Essence of Womanism
In her 1972 essay Coming Apart, Alice Walker captures the essence of womanism through poetic terms. She defines "womanist" as a term that encompasses feminism but goes deeper, instinctively aligning with a pro-woman stance. In her famous novel The Color Purple, Walker's portrayal of Celie and Shug’s relationship exemplifies womanism in action. Their bond represents the nurturing of Black women’s wisdom and strength, which is at the heart of womanism.
Womanist Theology: A Revolutionary Framework
Womanist theology, as described by Reverend Dr. Emilie M. Townes, addresses the shortcomings in both Black Theology and Feminist Theology. Early Black Theology often neglected the experiences of Black women, while Feminist Theology focused primarily on white women’s issues. Womanist theology, therefore, is a response to the need for an inclusive framework that acknowledges the intersection of race, class, gender, and sexuality.
Reverend Dr. Townes also highlights the evolving nature of womanism. Initially formalized in the mid-1980s, womanist theology has expanded to cover various aspects of Black women’s lives, from health care to ecological concerns. It is a model for Black women's organizational strength and a call for justice-driven spirituality. Womanism values folk culture, emphasizing the wisdom of everyday experiences and elevating the lives of non-bourgeois individuals.
Womanism’s Approach to Men
In womanism, men are acknowledged as influential figures in women’s lives, but they are never the central focus. Womanism is revolutionary because it centers Black women, rejecting the stereotype that Black women are society's burden-bearers. By embracing womanism, Black women become experts in their own lives, and their stories are prioritized.
Womanist Writers: Zora Neale Hurston as a Model
Zora Neale Hurston is one writer who can labeled as a womanist writer. You could even say that her career lost its traction because she did not want to fit into the norms of society of her time. She wrote her stories in the vernacular dialect that her characters would speak in real life. Her refusal to erase “country folk” is what always drew me to her stories. These stories about regular people doing regular things. And yet their stories still deserve to be told no matter how mundane it might seem.
Womanism shows us that these stories are priceless even when larger society tells us they don’t matter.
It is the reason why writer Ebonyjanice named her book “All the Black Girls Are Activists”. Black women are forced to take on an activist role because society at large does not consider the scholarship of Black women to be worthy of praise, accolades, or even publishing.
It is the reason why Zora Neale Hurston struggled working with large institutions as well as wealthy patrons, and possibly the reason why she died "penniless.”
The revival of Hurston’s work more than 60 years later can point to young Black women and girls waking up to the beauty of their heritage. Hurston provides a blueprint for loving and honoring ourselves.
The Role of a Womanist Writer
A womanist writer centers the experiences, wisdom, and knowledge of Black women. They are:
Focused on self-love and wellness, even if it means rejecting societal expectations of selfishness.
Privileged in Black women’s expertise, using them as primary sources in their work.
Dedicated to centering Black women’s voices, often placing Black women protagonists in roles where they have agency.
Rejecting respectability politics, valuing folk culture, and promoting the beauty of Black life.
Concerned with community and collective action, rejecting individualism.
The Womanist Lens: Viewing the World Through Black Women’s Eyes
A womanist perspective is inherently spiritual. It’s rooted in a profound respect for nature, community, and the ancestral wisdom passed down through generations. Womanism privileges the lives and knowledge of Black women, focusing on the intersection of land, identity, family, and social justice. It’s a call for liberation and a commitment to creating change, even in the face of adversity.
The Legacy of Womanist Theory
Womanism has offered a radical shift in how we view Black women’s experiences and how we learn to love ourselves. As Dr. Katie Geneva Cannon wisely said, “Even when people call your truth a lie, tell it anyway.” Womanism continues to empower Black women, giving us the space to honor ourselves, our stories, and our contributions to the world.
By embracing womanism, we align with a tradition of strength, resilience, and love that shapes our journey toward liberation and self-love.
