Feminista Jones (born Michelle Taylor; April 6, 1979) is an American social worker, author, and activist known for her work on Black feminism.[1] She is a freelance writer for national newspapers and magazines, a podcaster, book author, and social media influencer.[2]
In 2019, Jones authored Reclaiming Our Space: How Black Feminism is Changing the World from the Tweets to the Streets.[5][6] In 2020, she founded the Sankofa Summer School, "a virtual Afrocentric community school for students and adults aged 14+".[7]
In 2014, Jones launched a global anti-street harassment campaign (#YouOKSis) after she tweeted about her own experience intervening in an incident of street harassment in New York.[8] Another user, Mia McKenzie, suggested turning the phrase she had used to check in with the woman—"You OK, sis"—into a hashtag campaign designed to raise awareness and encourage people to ask victims of harassment if they need help.[8] Hundreds of people began using the hashtag to report street harassment.[8]
The same year, Jones launched the National Moment of Silence protesting police brutality (#NMOS14), which received international media attention.[8] #NMOS14 was used to organize national vigils after the death of Michael Brown.[5] She was named one of the SheKnows/BlogHer 2015 "Voices of the Year" in their Impact category for her work with #NMOS14.[9]
Jones was a featured speaker at the January 21, 2017, PhiladelphiaWomen's March, where she primarily discussed the difference between allies and co-conspirators.[5]
Other work
In 2015, Jones co-founded and served as general director of the Women's Freedom Conference, the first all-digital conference organized by and featuring exclusively women of color. Jones has written for the Washington Post, Salon, Time, and Ebony.[10] She has also been regularly featured on Huffington Post Live, has appeared on the Dr. Oz Show and the Exhale Show, and her work has appeared on C-SPAN (2014)[11] and MSNBC (2014).[12] Jones also advocates for young children as well as the homeless and those with psychiatric disabilities.[13]
Jones wrote an article for The Washington Post on May 14, 2015, titled, "Keep Harriet Tubman—and all women—off the $20 bill." She argued it is wrong to place Black women on money, especially Harriet Tubman, due to the historic lack of access to wealth by women and especially women of color. Jones contended that placing Tubman on the $20 bill is counterproductive because "Her legacy is rooted in resisting the foundation of American capitalism."[14]
Reclaiming Our Space
In 2019, Jones published Reclaiming Our Space: How Black Feminism is Changing the World from the Tweets to the Streets.[15]
Publishers Weekly wrote in its review that Jones "astutely analyses the nuances of black female identity."[16]Kirkus Reviews described the book as "[s]harp and provocative, the narrative is most powerful in its implication that, unless born to privilege, all Americans, regardless of race or gender, now 'feel something akin to what Black people... have always experienced.' Understanding black (female) struggles are therefore critical for everyone."[17] The book additionally explores features of Black feminist social action, such as the use of "traditional African-rooted call and response" on Twitter.[18]
Works
Novel
Jones, Feminista (2014). Push the Button. CreateSpace. ISBN978-1502967978.
Poetry
Jones, Feminista (2017). The Secret of Sugar Water. CreateSpace. ISBN9781973342472.
Nonfiction
Jones, Feminista (2019). Reclaiming Our Space: How Black Feminism is Changing the World from the Tweets to the Streets. Beacon Press. ISBN9780807055373.
