Womanist

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A worldview that emphasizes the intersection of race and gender, focusing on the unique struggles faced by women of color
2. A person who promotes the social, cultural, and political empowerment of black women and recognizes their specific challenges
3. An individual supporting the recognition and celebration of black women's identities and contributions to society

Etymology: The most notable fact about "womanist" is its coinage by the writer Alice Walker, who used it to describe a woman who is outrageous, audacious, and committed to the survival of an entire people, male and female. The word was built on "woman" and the suffix "-ist," on the model of "humanist," a pattern that makes a term for someone who champions a cause or a way of seeing. The source dates the term to the late twentieth century, which places it in the decades when Black feminist thought was developing its own vocabulary. In use, "womanist" names a woman who advocates for Black women, and it was adopted partly as a way to describe a feminism rooted in Black women's experiences and communities. Because the word was formed from familiar parts rather than borrowed from another language, its meaning rests on the choice to use "woman" as the root and "-ist" to mark a commitment to a cause.

Synonyms: feminist, activist, advocate, supporter, proponent

Antonyms: misogynist, sexist, chauvinist, oppressor, discriminator