Women of color (WOC) have been praised as a “growing force” and a “collective powerhouse” in the American electorate (Harris 2014; Solomon and Maxwell 2019).
Women of color represent the fastest growing segment of the women’s vote; WOC account for 74 percent of the growth in eligible women voters since 2000, compared to a 6 percent growth by White women (Harris, 2014).
Scholars and the media alike frequently invoke the term “women of color” (WoC). Despite this common usage, we know very little about the term and the political significance and efficacy of the identity.
The political term “women of color” (WoC) emerged in the late 1970s in Black feminist organizing spaces as a rejection of a singular emphasis on a woman identity. At that time, a WOC identity signaled a political commitment to solidarity politics.
In this work, some of which is collaborative with Kira Sanbonmatsu and Stacey Greene, I draw on theories of intersectionality and social identity to examine WoC identification, WoC representation, and WoC politics writ large.
Harris, 2014. “Women of Color: A Growing Force in the American Electorate.”
Solomon, D., and C. Maxwell, 2019. “Women of Color: A Collective Powerhouse in the U.S. Electorate.”
Invite me to speak
Yalidy is available for speaking engagements on these and other topics
- Women of color political representation
- AfroLatina political representation
- Intersectionality and politics
Email Yalidy.Matos@rutgers.edu
“As Black women we see Black feminism as the logical political movement to combat the manifold and simultaneous oppressions that all women of color face.”
— Combahee River Collective
WoC is “a commitment to work in collaboration with other oppressed women of color who have been minoritized.”
— Loretta Ross
Related
Publications
- “In Solidarity: Predicting African American and Black Immigrant Women’s Solidarity with Immigrants” in Politics & Gender
- “The Politics of “Women of Color”: A Group Identity Worth Investigating” in Politics, Groups, and Identities
- “Do Women Seek “Women of Color” For Public Office? Exploring Women’s Support for Electing Women of Color” in Political Research Quarterly
Yalidy Matos 