Author Mikki Kendall visits NCC

Mikki Kendall visited NCC on Feb. 1, in honor of Black History Month. She is the author of “Hood Feminism: Notes from the Women That a Movement Forgot”. NCC’s Multicultural Affairs hosted this event. 

Kendall’s collection of essays centers on how modern feminism ignores communities of color. These communities don’t have the resources to advocate for themselves as much as they would like. Kendall discussed how governmental policies have ignored people of lower socioeconomic status.

Kendall’s approach to the feminist movement

Kendall expressed that people in poverty need more power in the feminist movement. She elaborated that feminism, as it stands, has a diversity problem. She discussed the various waves of the feminist movement. Furthermore, Kendall critiqued the feminist movement for primarily centering the interests of white women. One of the main takeaways was that women of color face different struggles than white women. She elaborated that without including people of all races in the discussion, the feminist movement can only go so far.

In addition to the feminist movement, the author discussed equity in urban and rural areas and how these areas service people of color. She made strong arguments to inspire change in audience members. She also discussed how various approaches to systemic change could logistically pan out.

Q&A

At the end of her talk, there was a Q&A section where Kendall answered questions that audience members had for her. This added new talking points to the overall conversation of the book and her perspective. Kendall delivered an important message to the college campus, and listeners had a chance to weigh in on the issues she discussed in her book and speech. Overall, it was a constructive evening that allowed Kendall to display her prowess as a speaker, writer and activist for an important cause.

Morgan Harmon, ’24, president of Black Student Alliance, shared her thoughts on Kendall’s visit:

“Having Mikki Kendall here was a huge win for BHM and the campus community. It helped increase visibility and representation of the Black campus community. This was a time for individuals to share their experiences, perspectives and opinions on issues she touched on in her book, “Hood Feminism”, or anything brought up during the Q&A session. During a time when so many people are against CRT teachings, it’s important to continue having events like this, to not only keep the conversation alive but also show that we want to progress and move forward as an institution,” said Harmon.