One of the most heated debates that I’ve ever had was one about feminism, which I had with a young brother who was a Queen B fan. He argued that superstar Beyoncé was a feminist because she was a strong, Black woman who was outspoken and made her own money. Darryl obviously didn’t know the definition of a feminist. It was time for a teachable moment. The working definition of feminism is the belief in full social, economic, and political equality for women, and the willingness to fight for those equalities. In some quarters of the feminist movement, gender is not an automatic prerequisite to being a feminist. This means men can self-identify as a feminist and embrace a feminist ideology. My short response to Darryl was that yes, B is outspoken (when she wants to be). Beyoncé is quite okay with her body being a commodity and her talents being monetized. The average ticket price for one of her concerts ranges between $200-$1000. Her billions are not being used to transform capitalist society, let alone the cut-throat music industry. She benefits from the capitalist system and is a cog in the wheel that keeps it humming. This feminist lesson was sobering for Darryl. He reluctantly agreed that Bey didn’t fit the definition, but that he still loved her music. I reminded him that our movement uses objective universal truths, not subjectivism. It’s a contest built on popularity and not principle. When one begins the feminist journey, one quickly realizes that the social, economic, and political inequities are germane to capitalism. The devaluation and exploitation of women is a necessary part of maximizing profits that fuel and expand capitalism and imperialism. It’s no different from racism’s vital role in extracting and exploiting capitalist profits. A discerning look at the U.S. capitalist system leaves no room to believe that once a female is in positions of power, everything changes for the better. I started thinking about this more as we’ve had to endure the racist, macho antics of the women in the trump regime. Kristi Noem, Pam Bondi, Karoline Leavitt, Susie Wiles, Tulsi Gabbard, Linda McMahon, Lori Chavez-DeRemer, Alina Habba, Kelly Loeffler, and Brooke Rollins are all from the same cloth, regardless of race, and fit comfortably in the patriarchal system that keeps women exploited and oppressed. When we see how other MAGA women operate in other spheres of social, political, and corporate life, it’s a sad replication of women who are committed to keeping racial capitalism propped up at the expense of the multiracial working class. There’s a tendency to believe that plopping a woman or a person of color into the mix will bring some empathy, some sanity, and a sense of reality. That only happens if the woman understands capitalism, and that her fight to achieve genuine equality starts with an anti-capitalist worldview. This is not the same as liberal feminism, which is limited in its liberatory reach because it believes capitalism can be reformed – a tweak here, a tweak there. Liberal feminists believe putting women in the workforce, electing women to office, or giving women more education means that we’re on the way to full equality. Radical feminism will inform a policy to restrict the detention of women and children in immigration centers. Radical feminism will shape a foreign policy that starts with negotiated shared interests for the country’s people. Radical feminism will illuminate a pathway to healthy and affordable food that is distributed to families throughout this country. I am a self-identified Black feminist, but I do not rejoice just because a female gets a new position or a skin folk is the first to step into a role previously guarded by someone white. Gender is not a deal-breaker. Women, without working-class feminist consciousness, will only perpetuate the barbaric capitalist system that benefits the few. It’s something to think about during Women’s History Month. By the way, does anyone know Beyoncé’s stand on the Iranian war, on ICE, on voter suppression, on…?