This Bridge Called My Back: Writings by Radical Women of Color

Merriam-Webster defines capitalism as “an economic system characterized by private or corporate ownership of capital goods, by investments that are determined by private decision, and by prices, production, and the distribution of goods that are determined mainly by competition in a free market.” In the context of This Bridge, many feminists argue that capitalism as a system is inherently racist and patriarchal because of the unequal distribution of power that it has led to, mainly putting wealth in the hands of straight white men.

Classism is oppression based on economic status. In a society where economic classes are stratified, those with wealth and therefore power (i.e., white men), maintain this unequal distribution by preventing others from competing. This results in women of color, and/or Third World women, being disproportionately in poverty and creates enormous challenges for those in poverty to escape it.

Feminism is a movement that seeks equality between men and women. This Bridge provided crucial nuance to the understanding of feminism at a time when feminism was working only on white, middle-class women’s issues with little regard for women with different identities.