13 Powerful Truths About Womanism: A Pathway to Liberation, Healing, and Community

When people ask why I embrace Womanism, I say this: It tells the whole truth. It acknowledges what many of us already know in our bones—our survival

When people ask why I embrace Womanism, I say this: It tells the whole truth. It acknowledges what many of us already know in our bones—our survival, healing, and liberation are deeply connected to our communities, our ancestors, and our own spiritual knowing.

Here are 13 truths about Womanism that offer a more complete understanding of justice, love, and resistance:

1️⃣ Womanism is Rooted in Black Women’s Realities
Alice Walker introduced the term in In Search of Our Mothers’ Gardens (1982) to address the gaps in mainstream feminism. It makes space for the unique struggles and strengths of Black women.

2️⃣ It Sees Liberation as Collective, Not Just Individual
Womanism isn’t just about personal empowerment—it’s about uplifting families, communities, and future generations.

3️⃣ Spirituality is a Source of Strength
For many of us, healing and resistance aren’t just political—they’re deeply spiritual. Womanism recognizes ancestral wisdom, faith, and mysticism as powerful forces.

4️⃣ Intersectionality Was Already Here
Before “intersectionality” became an academic term, Black women lived it. Womanism naturally addresses race, gender, class, and oppression as interwoven, not separate.

5️⃣ Ordinary Women Hold Extraordinary Power
We don’t have to be on the front page of a newspaper to be revolutionary. The mothers, grandmothers, and women who nurture, survive, and resist daily injustice are already changing the world.

6️⃣ Care Work & Motherhood Are Forms of Resistance
Raising children with love, passing down stories, and creating safe spaces for others are not small acts—they are powerful forms of activism.

7️⃣ Love & Healing Are Core to Justice
Womanism understands that love is not weakness. It is a force. Justice that doesn’t prioritize healing and love leaves too many people behind.

8️⃣ It Challenges White Supremacy & Patriarchy—At the Same Time
Many movements ask us to fight one battle at a time. Womanism refuses. We fight racism and sexism together because they work together to harm us.

9️⃣ Sexual Autonomy & Boundaries Matter
A woman’s body is her own. Period. Womanism demands full freedom from exploitation, coercion, and violence—whether in relationships, workplaces, or movements.

🔟 Our Ancestors Walk With Us
The wisdom of those who came before us—our mothers, grandmothers, and great-grandmothers—is still guiding us. Womanism honors that wisdom instead of dismissing it.

1️⃣1️⃣ Leadership is Shared, Not Hierarchical
No “Queen Bee” syndrome here. Womanism values collective leadership over individual power. Everyone has something to offer, and no one is above the movement.

1️⃣2️⃣ It Sees Women’s Labor as Sacred
The work that women do—especially Black women—often goes unpaid and unrecognized. Womanism demands acknowledgment, respect, and change.

1️⃣3️⃣ It Resonates Beyond Black Women
While rooted in Black women’s experiences, Womanism has influenced Indigenous, Latina, and other women of color who see their struggles reflected in its core beliefs.

Why This Matters

Womanism reminds us that our survival is not just about resistance—it’s about creation. We are here to build, to heal, to nurture, and to thrive. It challenges us to honor the wisdom of the women before us while shaping a future where justice is not just an idea, but a lived reality. This is not just a movement; it’s a way of being.