White Tears/Brown Scars: How White Feminism Betrays Women of Color
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- Create Date：2021-09-14 09:53:54
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Ruby Hamad
- ISBN：194822674X
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Summary
For readers of White Fragility， White Tears/Brown Scars is an explosive book of history and cultural criticism that argues that white feminism， from Australia to Zimbabwe to the United States， has been a weapon of white supremacy and patriarchy deployed against black and indigenous women， and women of color。
Taking us from the slave era， when white women fought in court to keep their slaves， through the centuries of colonialism， when they offered a soft face for brutal tactics， to the modern workplace， White Tears/Brown Scars tells a charged story of white women’s active participation in campaigns of oppression。 It offers a long overdue validation of the experiences of women of color。
Discussing subjects as varied as The Hunger Games， Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez， the viral "BBQ Becky" video， and 19th century lynchings of Mexicans in the American Southwest， Ruby Hamad undertakes a new investigation of gender and race。 She shows how the division between innocent white women and racialized， sexualized women of color was created， and why this division is crucial to confront。
Along the way are revelatory responses to questions such as: Why are white men not troubled by sexual assault of women？ With rigor and precision， Hamad builds a powerful argument about the legacy of white superiority we are socialized in， a reality we must apprehend in order to fight。
Taking us from the slave era， when white women fought in court to keep their slaves， through the centuries of colonialism， when they offered a soft face for brutal tactics， to the modern workplace， White Tears/Brown Scars tells a charged story of white women’s active participation in campaigns of oppression。 It offers a long overdue validation of the experiences of women of color。
Discussing subjects as varied as The Hunger Games， Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez， the viral "BBQ Becky" video， and 19th century lynchings of Mexicans in the American Southwest， Ruby Hamad undertakes a new investigation of gender and race。 She shows how the division between innocent white women and racialized， sexualized women of color was created， and why this division is crucial to confront。
Along the way are revelatory responses to questions such as: Why are white men not troubled by sexual assault of women？ With rigor and precision， Hamad builds a powerful argument about the legacy of white superiority we are socialized in， a reality we must apprehend in order to fight。
Reviews
Kony
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Ruby Hamad gives a clear， unapologetic， scathing exposition of White Women's Tears。 She provides definitions， recent anecdotes， and historical context to drive home the point that white women have played a crucial， underappreciated role in upholding white supremacy and colonialism for centuries。 Throughout history， white women have acted as "damsels in distress" whose suffering justifies acts of violence， oppression， and subjugation against people of color。 White women have also led the charge o Ruby Hamad gives a clear， unapologetic， scathing exposition of White Women's Tears。 She provides definitions， recent anecdotes， and historical context to drive home the point that white women have played a crucial， underappreciated role in upholding white supremacy and colonialism for centuries。 Throughout history， white women have acted as "damsels in distress" whose suffering justifies acts of violence， oppression， and subjugation against people of color。 White women have also led the charge of "civilizing" indigenous communities， separating children of color from their families and stripping them of their cultural heritage。 And white women have thrown their support behind the agendas of powerful white men， enabling and legitimizing their acts of violence and oppression （e。g。 Trump， Kavanaugh）。 In contemporary academic， professional， political， and social settings， White Women's Tears have an uncanny tendency to appear when a woman of color speaks up for herself， points out a systemic problem， or merely voices disagreement with a white woman's actions or opinions。 This ensures that the white woman's hurt feelings take center stage， displacing the woman of color's concerns and casting the woman of color as the villain who owes an apology。 As a woman of color who has experienced a plethora White Women's Tears during my brief stint in therapy school （aka the Land of Well-Intended White Women）， I found validation and catharsis in Hamad's exposition of this phenomenon。 I'm eternally grateful to Hamad for making this seemingly mundane experience intelligible and explaining its sinister historical roots in detail。 At the same time， I found the unflagging polemical tone and lack of footnotes a bit troubling。 Don't get me wrong， I share the feelings of rage and indignation that bristle in Hamad's writing。 However， in a book like this， I'd hope these emotions would be paired with more argumentative nuance and journalistic rigor -- otherwise， we just have an eloquent， intelligent tirade that preaches to the choir。 3。5 stars。 。。。more
Rebecca
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A little hard to read with soooo many examples， details， and stories， but worth it。 There are apparently a lot of ways to say， "White women throw brown women under the bus all the time。" A little hard to read with soooo many examples， details， and stories， but worth it。 There are apparently a lot of ways to say， "White women throw brown women under the bus all the time。" 。。。more
Jackie
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Can’t recommend this enough。
Ginny
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Hamad’s book was transformative。 No book has raised my awareness and consciousness of white women’s racism and oppression of black women and women of color than this one。 By presenting a global and historical perspective Hamad is especially persuasive。 Only recently have I realized the sacrifices black women made in the US to support women’s suffrage， i。e。， women’s right to vote。 But I have especially remained ignorant of how white women oppress black women for their own agenda and how this abus Hamad’s book was transformative。 No book has raised my awareness and consciousness of white women’s racism and oppression of black women and women of color than this one。 By presenting a global and historical perspective Hamad is especially persuasive。 Only recently have I realized the sacrifices black women made in the US to support women’s suffrage， i。e。， women’s right to vote。 But I have especially remained ignorant of how white women oppress black women for their own agenda and how this abuse and domination furthers white supremacy。 Hamad asserts， “Despite all its complexity， the world is presented to us filtered and interpreted through the reductive lens of the white imaginary， which was designed and implemented to benefit white people。” The chapter entitled， When Tears Become Weapons， was especially illuminating。 Hamad argues that white women’s tears too often are “strategic” designed “to empower the white woman at the expense of the woman of color for the benefit of white society。” She asserts that these tears are fundamental to the success of whiteness。 The “damsel in distress” trope remains too common among white women。 Yes this was a painful read。 Yes I now realize how my advancement in the name of “sexism” and “feminism” contributed to my success at the expense of black and brown women。 Everyone should read this book including black and brown men and women and especially those who remain unaware， ignorant， or fearful of recognizing white women’s racism。 More importantly I implore white men and women to read this book in the hopes they will fight to recognize and dismantle white supremacy along with their explicit and implicit biases that hurt our black and brown sisters and hamper their advancement and well-being。 Thanks to Leelah Orion， my reading buddy， for recommending this book to me。 。。。more
Imogen Osinibi
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I have learnt A LOT， both about racism and realisations over my own experience。 The structure of each chapter is very good。 I like that it denotes a chunk of each chapter to history。 It also brings in anecdotal stories that I’m sure a lot of women of colour will be able to relate to。 Important read for white women I believe。
Yulia Yukhimenko
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The topic is strong。 Unfortunately， the delivery didn't speak to me The topic is strong。 Unfortunately， the delivery didn't speak to me 。。。more
Katie Dickson
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White women - read this book！ We must be better。
Hana （linh_hermione）
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"Are you brave enough to give up whiteness for humanity？"I haven't read White Fragility， but if you're looking for something in a similar vein that's actually written by a person of colour， I think this might be the one！ "Are you brave enough to give up whiteness for humanity？"I haven't read White Fragility， but if you're looking for something in a similar vein that's actually written by a person of colour， I think this might be the one！ 。。。more
Mia Destfino
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I really liked this book。 It gave me a lot of perspective and things to think about！ Highly recommend
Bonnie
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A solid argument about White women's tears and decolonizing feminism。 A solid argument about White women's tears and decolonizing feminism。 。。。more
Sarah
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My only complaint is that the author is Australian， but the narrator of the audiobook has an American accent。 Since this is non fiction and written from the author's perspective， I would prefer to hear， if not her actual voice， then a voice with a similar accent。Other than that， great book。 Really interesting and informative。 My only complaint is that the author is Australian， but the narrator of the audiobook has an American accent。 Since this is non fiction and written from the author's perspective， I would prefer to hear， if not her actual voice， then a voice with a similar accent。Other than that， great book。 Really interesting and informative。 。。。more
Sharon Mehat
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One of the best books I've ever read。 One of the best books I've ever read。 。。。more
Deb
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Thank you to Catapult for my gifted copy in exchange for my honest review， review to come but this is a must-read。
Madeleine
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essential reading for everyone
Alicia
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Everyone should read this book， it's amazing， but all white women and anyone interested in feminism NEED to read this book。A fantastic， well-researched， important， intersectional read。 Hamad clearly lays out her main argument - that white women have sided with white men time and time again in the U。S。， negating any semblance of "sisterhood" or a universal feminist movement and sacrificing women of color to advance themselves and white supremacy。 Hamad draws a line from the white women slaveholde Everyone should read this book， it's amazing， but all white women and anyone interested in feminism NEED to read this book。A fantastic， well-researched， important， intersectional read。 Hamad clearly lays out her main argument - that white women have sided with white men time and time again in the U。S。， negating any semblance of "sisterhood" or a universal feminist movement and sacrificing women of color to advance themselves and white supremacy。 Hamad draws a line from the white women slaveholders of the 1800s to the sufragettes of the 1900s to current day examples， clearly demonstrating that white women have， time and time again， chosen to ally themselves with their race （white men） rather than women of other races in the hopes that eventually white men would reward their race loyalty （spoiler alert: they didn't）。 One of the aspects of the book I especially loved was that Hamad， herself a woman of Southwest Asian origin， brought in many elements specific to the feminism of women of Southwest Asia and North Africa， largely considered "oppressed" and "in need of saving。" In addition to research and examples from the U。S。， she also drew on examples of white feminism from Australia and current day Zimbabwe （formerly the colony of Rhodesia）。This book made me examine how the feminism I've been touting since my adolescence has actually been feminism in support of white women， and ignoring women of color。 Definitely got my work cut out for me。 。。。more
Raquel Cruz
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Took me a while but I finally finished this！ Ruby Hamad did an outstanding job of putting into words things I had known and noticed through the years as I have become more aware of racism。 At times I felt an" us vrs them" attitude and I felt annoyed about it but then I had to remind myself it has always been an "us vrs them" but this time the point of view is from the oppressed。 Highly recommended for anyone trying to educate themselves more on racism。 Took me a while but I finally finished this！ Ruby Hamad did an outstanding job of putting into words things I had known and noticed through the years as I have become more aware of racism。 At times I felt an" us vrs them" attitude and I felt annoyed about it but then I had to remind myself it has always been an "us vrs them" but this time the point of view is from the oppressed。 Highly recommended for anyone trying to educate themselves more on racism。 。。。more
Heather
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4。5 stars
Danica Page （One Page at a Time）
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This is a solid 4。5。 I loved it。 Very insightful and very thought-provoking。 We have a lot to account for and a lot of work to do。 I hadn’t heard the term “white feminism” til I was in college。 Until then， I’d been ignorant as to what “white feminism” meant。 I then undertook efforts to read widely about what “white feminism” meant and then found what Black feminism was and what intersectionality means。 Since then， my eyes have been wide open to the problems with white feminism and how many peopl This is a solid 4。5。 I loved it。 Very insightful and very thought-provoking。 We have a lot to account for and a lot of work to do。 I hadn’t heard the term “white feminism” til I was in college。 Until then， I’d been ignorant as to what “white feminism” meant。 I then undertook efforts to read widely about what “white feminism” meant and then found what Black feminism was and what intersectionality means。 Since then， my eyes have been wide open to the problems with white feminism and how many people I respect still follow and preach “white feminism。” But I hadn’t read a lot about “Brown feminism，” so I was really excited to read this one。 We need a lot less “white feminism” and a lot more “intersectional feminism”—but only true intersectionality。 What I loved about this book was the history and the depth of her research。 I also loved how she weaved histories of Australia and America together。 This had a lot more academic rigor than some I’ve read but was still very accessible。 I’d also recommend you read Koa Beck’s “White Feminism。” And then of course read some Lorde， some Hooks， and also Brittney Cooper and Morgan Jerkins。 And many more。 。。。more
Al
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This book was amazing。 If you want things to be put in perspective， especially if you're a white feminist， this is exactly what you need。 I was reading reviews that were like 'makes you feel bad for being white :（' and if you think that， you're exactly who this book is talking about。 The author states that a lot of the time that these people who use their tears to silence women of color often do not do this out of malice， but because they've been so conditioned to be the damsel that they don't u This book was amazing。 If you want things to be put in perspective， especially if you're a white feminist， this is exactly what you need。 I was reading reviews that were like 'makes you feel bad for being white :（' and if you think that， you're exactly who this book is talking about。 The author states that a lot of the time that these people who use their tears to silence women of color often do not do this out of malice， but because they've been so conditioned to be the damsel that they don't understand what they're doing。 This book is not in anyway harmful。 I listened to this as an audiobook on Libby， but I will definitely be buying a physical copy so I can annotate the hell out of it。 I loved （well not loved， because it's quite sad， more interested） the sections about the history of stereotypes such as 'the angry brown woman' and 'the dragon lady。' I don't know why I wasn't expecting this。 I didn't read the summary again before going into it， I got it off of Libby on a whim， but I was pleasantly surprised。 I'll be writing a more in depth review when I get a physical copy and make notes。 Overall， not something I would usually reach for， but still great。 。。。more
Maddy McHugh
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Within the top 5 of books I’ve read in a long time。
Elise - ABook&ACup
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a must read
Ria Reading
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This book was extremely hard to read， in part because it’s difficult to swallow being complicit in a perpetuated legacy of oppression that goes against what I have always thought of myself， probably much like other white women。 I was blown away。 This text and everything it had to say is so important that I wish I could force every college to include it on their mandatory curriculum。
Claire
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A difficult but essential read for me and for any other white women who consider themselves feminists。
JiixBooks
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It’s a 4。5 but I’m rounding up this time A great read and a must read for white women in my eyes especially those who consider themselves allies This books tackles a myriad of themes and subjects from a perspective that was very close to home。 While many of the points made aren’t necessarily new to me but more so my reality it was very nice to see them put into context with different heritages of woc。 The links between stories and theory was well crafted and made it easy to follow while also dee It’s a 4。5 but I’m rounding up this time A great read and a must read for white women in my eyes especially those who consider themselves allies This books tackles a myriad of themes and subjects from a perspective that was very close to home。 While many of the points made aren’t necessarily new to me but more so my reality it was very nice to see them put into context with different heritages of woc。 The links between stories and theory was well crafted and made it easy to follow while also deepening the conversations that were held between the pages I wish the book also focused more on the idea of what is an Arab in the context of NA and ME too bc that while it got talked about briefly wasn’t in depth enough for my taste。Another point I’d like to add is the misconception of Germany as a country that deals properly with its past。 While yes Germany acknowledges it’s atrocious history， many Jewish activists critic the way we still talk about the history in which Jewish people are taken the agency from and we never to rarely talk about them fighting back etc。 It is also important to note here that conversations around racism are very hard here， considering that if you say sth was racist people will automatically be offended and claim you called them a nazi。 Same way that reverse racism is very much believed to be a reality。 Let alone being gaslight by politicians who claim police is not only not capable of being racist but refuse to do studies on racism in the police force。 Just to name a few gripes I have with the depiction of Germany and it’s racism。 We have yet to critically acknowledge the murders of the NSU as well as what happened in Hanau。 。。。more
Lisa Witcher
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5 stars。 I can’t say enough good things about this book。 Thoroughly researched， well written， and packs a well aimed pinch at intersectional plights through examination of our sociological systems。 With this book， I had to take breaks from reading occasionally because it rang incredibly true to me。 I believe every person should read and would come out a better human because of it。 Please read！
Fajar Davis
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I found this to be a well-researched and well-structured argument on the continuance of power hierarchies in our global society that favour white men above all， and white women just a step below。 I was really pleased by how all parameters of racial groups were clearly defined so as to avoid any nitpicking at the technicalities。 I also enjoyed how each chapter started with a current event， and then jumped back in time to the emergence of the culture that could enable such an event to really showc I found this to be a well-researched and well-structured argument on the continuance of power hierarchies in our global society that favour white men above all， and white women just a step below。 I was really pleased by how all parameters of racial groups were clearly defined so as to avoid any nitpicking at the technicalities。 I also enjoyed how each chapter started with a current event， and then jumped back in time to the emergence of the culture that could enable such an event to really showcase the evolution of racist ideas and link subtle behaviours in the now to outrageous behaviours in the past （although many current behaviours are still pretty outrageous）。 。。。more
dead apple
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“The sense of entitlement and abject lack of empathy are palpable to all people of color and have been noted throughout this book。 Most breathtaking is the inability to accept even the slightest criticism。 Often， it seems whiteness is not content to simple think itself superior but insists on pressuring the rest of us to agree。” This book， truthfully， is one of the most realistic and insightful piece of writing I have ever read。 I’ve experienced and seen these same types of racism， but I could n “The sense of entitlement and abject lack of empathy are palpable to all people of color and have been noted throughout this book。 Most breathtaking is the inability to accept even the slightest criticism。 Often， it seems whiteness is not content to simple think itself superior but insists on pressuring the rest of us to agree。” This book， truthfully， is one of the most realistic and insightful piece of writing I have ever read。 I’ve experienced and seen these same types of racism， but I could never quite name them as accurately as this book did。 I could tell how much effort， research， and careful wording the author worked hard to do to create this， and for that， I applaud her。 This book struck me in a lot of different ways。 I related to it， agreed with it， and was even slapped by reality by it。 It addressed even the most nuanced racism and sexism there is， and often， it would include some beliefs I used to have before I realized the harm and damage it has。 It discusses uncomfortable truths， but truths nonetheless。 Not only did this book make me realize my own internalized racism， it also gave me insight into topics I usually preferred to steer clear from。 Everyone should read this book， and there should be more books like this。 Not only for the sake of knowing， but for the sake of educating other people and standing up for the communities where oppression is still hitting the hardest。 。。。more
Dana
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This book is an absolute must read for every person， but especially for white cis women。
Indira
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Another excellent， must read to see just how white supremacy is such a force。 Hamad is right - dry the tears， recognize the privilege and complicity。
Brandi
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