Moving Ahead Without Privilege

 

Three white, educated, Feminist Women – are my focal point today. 

1.1.  Jessica Valenti, age 46, with a Master’s Degree in Women’s/Gender Studies from Rutgers U,  is the mother of a young teenage daughter, and resides in Brooklyn.

She focuses deeply on Abortion and related issues, blogging at: https://jessica.substack.com/ and having a recently published book – see my review at:

https://www.georgemarx.org/2025/03/abortion-their-lies-valenti-great-book.html .   She is Deeply committed to “the cause” and is certainly the most radical of the three women.

2. Heather Cox-Richardson, age 62, with a doctorate from Harvard, is an Associate Professor at Boston College.  Her blog: “Letters from an American” is at:

https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/ .

3. Sheila Kennedy, more than 20 years older than Cox-Richardson (a.a. degree in 1960 – 65 years ago), is an emerita law professor – and long-time resident of Indianapolis.   One can read of many of her professional accomplishments at:

https://sheilakennedy.net/about/curriculum-vitae/  and read her daily blog entries at: https://sheilakennedy.net/

Let’s start with each of their self-descriptions from their respective blogs:

1.      Valenti – Abortion, Every Day is a comprehensive daily newsletter dedicated to abortion rights, and the feminist community that supports it. … Most importantly, AED provides all readers with a vital narrative through-line on what’s happening with abortion—contextualizing what this all means in a moment when we all feel inundated and overwhelmed.  …

2.      Cox – Richardson - I'm a history professor interested in the contrast between image and reality in American politics. I believe in American democracy, despite its frequent failures.

3.      Kennedy - A jaundiced look at the world we live in.  Her March 7, 2025 blog entry began:

Not that it should surprise anyone, but the corruption of our Grifter-in-Chief has become too flagrant and apparent to hide. As Trump has decimated the Justice department and fired the various officials whose job it has been to ensure government ethics, his administration is coming to look a lot like that of his idol Putin.

Kennedy is clearly influenced by Cox-Richardson, and references her in her writings at times.   Cox-Richardson seems tied to “the system” in her “liberalism” and research/academic influences in her writings.  

Kennedy reacts strongly to the reactionary politics of Indiana and seems increasingly impacted by toxic Christianity, the threats of fascism and similar.   Valenti’s extensive research often emphasizes what I would call: “The Patriarchal War on Girls/Women” – as the Republican Party – and those strongly supporting it are increasingly becoming more and more radical and oppressive, as well as distorting/lying about their agenda.

All three of them have a lot of formal education, a deep caring for others, and I believe – “fatal flaws” – that are most apparent in today’s world.  None of what I say detracts from the obvious fact that they write most significant things which deeply impact many.

 

I see (at least) short term potential limits in their respective “fights for justice”.  In part this is because of the complexities and challenges of today.  

I think that the Privilege that each of them has, also affects things in a not bad way.

Loretta Ross, an amazing Black Woman, gives me much, much more hope.

Ross is a long-term activist, and most recently a noted professor.   She has dedicated many years advocating for women’s rights and reproductive justice. Most notably, she is a cofounder of SisterSong and Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collective, served as a previous Executive Director of the D.C. Rape Crisis Center, and is one of twelve women credited with coining the phrase and framework “reproductive justice.” Ross continues to be regarded as a voice of authority on women’s rights. She continually combats racism, sexism and sexual violence, particularly by creating coalitions by and for women affected by these inequities. …

In 2022, she was named the MacArthur 2022 Fellow for her many years of notable and impactful work.  …

As of 2022, she works as an Associate Professor of the Study of Women and Gender at Smith College, where she teaches a course on “White Supremacy, Human Rights and Calling in the Calling Out Culture” (Smith College n.d.).

https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/loretta-ross

Loretta Ross grew up without privilege.   Some examples of this include:

1.   Being stranger raped at age 11,

2.   Being raped and impregnated at age 15,

3.   Not being able to have an abortion in 1969 because they weren’t legal where she lived,

4.   After seeing her newborn son in the hospital deciding she couldn’t give him up for adoption,

5.   Having her full-scholarship at Radcliffe (age 15 or 16) rescinded because she kept her child (so she couldn’t afford to attend).

Loretta Ross, at 71, is different from Valenti, Cox-Richardson and Kennedy not only because she is Black, and they are white.   All four women are highly intelligent and well-educated. 

Ross was double-promoted in school and initially offered a full-scholarship to Radcliffe which would have begun when she was either age 16 or 17.   She ended up with a full scholarship to Howard University, though she didn’t graduate from there.   Anyone interested in her fascinating achievements might look at:

https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/loretta-ross .

Ross has persisted, confronting numerous barriers, related to her lack of privilege.   Her “intelligence” is far, far deeper than being solely “intellectual” and/or “book learning”.   Looking at the picture of the two of us above, one might notice the lack of “perfect teeth”.  The picture doesn’t show the powered wheel chair that she uses to move in a public space like the church where I saw her.

Relevant writing – and view of things – is shown through Esther Armah – in Emotional Justice – see:

https://www.theaiej.com/ - her website and/or my review of her amazing book at:

https://www.georgemarx.org/2024/06/emotional-justice-esther-armah-amazing.html .   Esther Armah greatly impressed many of us (most of us had never heard of her) at The Privilege Institute’s – 2024 – White Privilege Conference.   Later this month – the 2025 Conference will be held in Hartford, CT – see: https://www.theprivilegeinstitute.com/wpc26 .  

Armah’s words follow:

White progressives use political arguments to engage what is actually emotional.  The reason there will always be a disconnect is that they have nothing to do with each other.   You can be an ideologically sound, philosophically pure, and as politically progressive as a person can be, but that has nothing to do with who you are in the world and a human being when it comes to your connection to race and whiteness, because that has to do with soul and essence and fear – and how much white supremacy is rooted in ideas of subjugation and exploitation and domination.   (p.106-7)

The emotional connection to whiteness protects itself whenever it feels threatened. 

As a white man, I am stuck in both my “toxic masculinity” and in my “whiteness”.   Absent – going beyond my “intellect” and “book knowledge”, I have limitations – that reflect both my privilege – as well as a lack of insight – within me – my heart, my spirit, my emotional being.

Valenti, Kennedy and Cox-Richardson – are impacted by toxic masculinity, and tied to their whiteness in ways that Ross and Armah, and others aren’t.   I note the courage of Ta-Nehisi Coates – in “The Message” –

https://www.georgemarx.org/2024/12/the-message-important-words.html  who acknowledged how he’d bought the “Zionist Narrative” (my words) – and was wrong.   Coates – is receiving push-back – from – “the powers that be” – who don’t recognize – “The Genocide” – of Gaza and beyond (today).

I see the three individuals I’m referencing in divergent and similar ways.   

Heather Cox-Richardson seems the most “mainstream”.  In that she is perhaps the most accepting of the insanities of today – perhaps the one most relevant to the perspective of Esther Armah.   She seems the most connected to “The Democrats” – which largely seem to me to be – “too slow” – and even “too corrupt” in large part.   While she doesn’t focus upon Gaza-Palestine-Israel – my sense is that her “liberalism” keeps her adrift in small part from – the genocide.

Kennedy seems slightly “better”.   Facing the bizarreness of Indiana alone – is a wake-up call – which she ably confronts.   Her age seems both an advantage, and occasionally a disadvantage.   She is more reachable – I’ve emailed her and she has responded – and she is also tied to – “reality” – “liberalism” – which doesn’t resonate well with me.   She could use a little more of Armah’s wisdom!

Jessica Valenti – I admire greatly!   Her commitment to women and girls is amazing!   Her writing is amazing!   My review of her most recent book is readable at:

https://www.georgemarx.org/2025/03/abortion-their-lies-valenti-great-book.html

The “problem” I see with Valenti is more systemic/structural, rather than personal.    She seems to have absorbed a lot of the wisdom of Esther Armah and Loretta Ross, regardless of any direct influence from either or both of them.

Abortion – Birth Control – and Valenti’s passion(s) – and deep commitment often reach the deeply committed people, particularly women, many of who are privileged.   The People she readily reaches will Do a Lot – often – for “the cause”.

Valenti’s core issues – face a deep paradox, unfortunately!   They run up against several inter-related “walls”.   At a simple – yet horrible level – organizations like SisterSong – which Loretta Ross – helped create – are being – literally “assaulted” – being de-funded and attacked – because they are in solidarity with– the Palestinian People.   Quite a few wealthy – establishment people – funders – have strong ties in support of Israel and the U.S. Government’s Strong Support of Israel.

A second troubling oppositional force is that for many women, abortion and birth control run up against multiple issues.   Among Latina People – ties to the Roman Catholic Faith and – self-identification as “white” – not BIPOC can get in the way – both in opposing core values, and in not speaking up – remaining silent.

I recall a “socialist organizer” in Florida a few years ago talking of the challenging work in Florida.   She noted then that significant numbers of white women were strongly supportive of abortion and abortion rights, and at the same time strongly supported the reactionary/horrible Republican governor DeSantis!   Related to this – far, far too many people – won’t center their voting and political efforts on Women and girls, in a way comparable to how the NRA (National Rifle Association) still can stymie legislation an progress – with one Core Issue.

The saddest – thing for me – and the most horrific – is the complicity through silence – of most men, particularly privileged white men.

Some of us will go to a few marches.    Few of us – hear Esther Armah – and move beyond our “brains” – into our emotional cores.   Our complicity pays a deep price!   It Strongly Supports the Reactionary Agenda that Jessica Valenti so ably exposes!   It hurts our relationships with those we care about – life partners, mothers, fathers, sons, daughters and much more.

The toxicity of Patriarchy hurts us as men in many ways.   We rarely do the work – which we need to start doing.   Part of that may be – listening – deeply listening – to the essence of people like Jessica Valenti!    When we really – deeply hear – as Esther Armah speaks to and Loretta Ross speaks of – we can help build – win-win – situations and “being” into our lives and start finally to become (more) fully human!   This is “on us” – not “on her”.

Thanks!