Patricia Collins defined black feminism as "women who theorize the experiences and ideas shared by ordinary black women that provide a unique angle of vision on self, community, and society".The black feminist movement began as the offspring of the Black Liberation Movement and the Women's Movement of the 1960s. During this time black women collectively began to find their voice and identify their distinct struggle within society. Not only did they find themselves in opposition with the oppressive patriarchal white establishment, but they battled against the patriarchy that endured within the ranks of the Civil Rights movement. Civil Rights leader Anne Moody remembers the biting sexism stating, "We were told in the same breath to be quiet both for the sake of being 'ladylike' and to make us less objectionable in the eyes of white people."
To top it off, they also struggled to legitimize their stance to white feminist who felt that focusing on race distorted the goal of feminism. But black feminist adamantly held their position, maintaining that because of the vastly different experience that black women faced on a day to day basis, they deserved their place as a valid feminist group. Bell Hooks, one of the foremost black feminist voices noted:
"In those days white women who were unwilling to face the reality of racism and racial difference accused us of being traitors by introducing race.... In reality, we were demanding that we look at the status of females realistically, and that realistic understanding serve as the foundation for a real feminist politic."
But what does that have to do with young black men or anyone for that matter?
One of the beauties of the black feminist movement lay in it's ability to challenge us all to build an authentic self. Through stifling sexism and racism, the goal of black feminism has always been to define ourselves beyond race and gender based social constraints to build a meaningful and multidimensional life for ourselves and to encourage future generations to do the same. The movement encourages women of color to use their experiences, no matter how painful, to empower themselves and find their voice.
Many young black men grow up in harsh environments and are bombarded with images (mostly negative) of who they're supposed to be through the media largely driven by racism and patriarchy. If left unchecked, those images could develop into dangerously narrow perspectives. If we all learn to challenge conventions set in place by racism and patriarchy, not only do young black men benefit, but all of society benefits.
Sources:
-http://www.mit.edu/~thistle/v9/9.01/6blackf.html
-"Feminism Is For Everybody" by Bell Hooks
-Coming of Age in Mississippi by Anne Moody
- "Defining Black Feminist Thought" Patricia Collins
I really enjoyed this post. I have to add on by saying that I think all men are bombarded with images of who they're supposed to be through the media. So much has changed over the last 200 years that the image of gender and race has drastically changed yet hasn't changed much at all. I also think that if everyone should use their experiences to empower them rather than break them down. Too many times young adults let their bad experiences keep them achieving greatness.
ReplyDeleteI really appreciate your comment. I guess this is something that I'm struggling with. My blog is written about a particular demographic that's supposed to be readable by everyone.
DeleteI understand that all men are bombarded with images, but there is evidence that African American men are portrayed in a distinctly negative way. I guess I used black feminist because they endured the struggles that accompanied being black and being a woman. It's a bit easier to relate to the struggles of someone within your own group.
I like that you make a distinction between "black feminism" and "white feminism". I think its important for feminists to recognize the experiences that black, Latin, and other minorities' women face, especially compared to that of white, middle class women. Also, I'm interested to see your take on how this affects men, and specifically, black men.
ReplyDeleteThanks you for the comment! I wrote the next blog post about how patriarchy effects men and black men specifically. I hope that's what you meant. It seemed natural to follow up a discussion about feminism with a discussion about how patriarchy affects men,
DeleteFor a long time now, most scholars who write about culture have pointed out that we need to talk about the complex intersection or race, class and gender and how that intersection varies. So, not all women or even feminists are going to be thinking or writing from the same social space and about the same problems. The lesson here is that there are very few homogeneous groups or identities: "Men" covers a whole lot of varriation, as do any other generalities. It is, well, "complicated" to quote Harry Potter
ReplyDelete