A Black Feminist Statement
Black Feminism started around the 1960s, and groups started to form around the 1970s-1980s. I make that claim that Black Feminism groups…
#BlackFeminism
Black Feminism started around the 1960s, and groups started to form around the 1970s-1980s. I make that claim that Black Feminism groups originally started to form out of the lack of attention to issues that specifically pertain to women of color (e.g. the intersectionality of racism, lower social/class status compared to white women, and sexual oppression). “We realize that the only people who care enough about us [Black women] to work consistently for our liberation is us” (Kolmar; 273). Often, people who are oppressed are the best people suited for resolving their own oppression because they understand their oppression better than anyone else. The intersectionality of class, race, gender, sexism, and political status has often been ignored in relation to the feminist movement. Furthermore, some female groups (e.g. White women) have often reaped more productive results compared to other female groups (e.g. Black women and other marginalized groups) within feminist movements, which lead Black women to form their own movement.
Black women have not only received racial contention from society, but also racial contention within feminist movements which are supposed to collectively unite many women together. The racism against Black women within different feminist movements stifled the progress of Black women. Also, many non-colored women apart of the feminist movement during this time did not want to integrate and publicize any issues that would perceivably “hinder” the achievement of their main goals (e.g. equal pay, childcare, and equal work opportunities).
Black Feminism United Black Women.
During the 1960s and 1970s, many Black women were not afforded the same opportunities and respect as white women. Black women were even farther behind white women in trying to gain equality. Black women were also often sexually oppressed by white males who wanted to exert domination over Black women to limit their political and social status. “[…] we were told […] to be quiet both for the sake of being “ladylike” and to make us less objectionable in the eyes of white people” (Kolmar; 273). Black women were seen (and still are) as exotic, different, hyper-sexual, and not highly intelligent. All of these factors perpetuate the objectification and sexual exploitation of Black women. These issues were not being addressed within the feminist movement which is another reason why Black Feminism came about.
Source: Feminist Theory: A Reader | #Feminism #BlackFeminism #Women #Strength #Unite