In Hood Feminism, Mikki Kendall exposes how mainstream feminism often centers the privileged while sidelining those fighting for survival: women, queer folks, people of color, immigrants, disabled people, and anyone living at the intersections of exclusion.
Kendall reminds us that true feminism is about meeting material needs: food, housing, safety, fair pay because empowerment without stability isn’t freedom.
For many sex workers, that message resonates deeply. When you live and work in spaces society refuses to see, financial security becomes more than comfort: it’s protection, autonomy, and power.
Changing Limiting Beliefs About Money
We’re taught to believe that financial planning is for “legitimate” jobs or predictable incomes. That budgeting and investing are privileges, not necessities.
But Hood Feminism urges us to rethink who gets to have stability and to claim it for ourselves.
Financial literacy for marginalized communities and sex workers isn’t about joining a system that’s shut you out. It’s about building one that sustains you.
Financial Literacy as Collective Power
In Hood Feminism, community care is a central act of resistance. Financial knowledge is part of that care, a tool we can share to lift each other.
That might look like:
- Setting aside savings during good months to prepare for slow ones
- Building safety funds or mutual aid circles within trusted networks
- Learning budgeting or tax basics that protect your independence
- Using digital platforms strategically to diversify income
Each small action builds collective resilience and proof that we can care for ourselves and each other outside traditional systems.
Building Power Beyond Respectability
Kendall reminds us that feminism must include those doing labor the world refuses to respect.
Financial planning, then, becomes a radical act. Not about legitimacy, but longevity.
It’s about knowing your worth, making informed choices, and creating stability in a world that profits from your instability.
You deserve tools that work for your reality. You deserve wealth, rest, and options, no matter who you are or what kind of work you do.
Thriving Is Revolutionary
When marginalized people thrive, the whole system shifts.
Imagine sex workers and community workers — queer, trans, BIPOC, immigrant, disabled — with stable housing, savings, and long-term plans. That’s not just survival; that’s transformation.
Financial literacy isn’t about assimilation. It’s self-determination, a way to claim space, care for your community, and build futures on your own terms.
P.S. If you’re interested in reading Hood Feminism by Mikki Kendall, check with your local bookstore first! Independent shops are vital community spaces and can use your support. You can find one near you or order online through bookshop.org.
