I was having a discussion with a friend quite recently and we were discussing feminism. I commented how black women had their own term for feminism, womanist as a result of being excluded from the white feminism movement. She commented how she doesn’t understand why race is even factored into the equation and added that black women weren’t necessarily excluded but that not many black women were feminist. The latter isn’t the case at all a famed black feminist; Audre Lorde made a famous speech regarding the exclusion of women of color from a feminist conference entitled “The Masters Tools will not dismantle the Masters House” (get familiar). And black women have been feminist before the term was invented anyone remembers Sojourner Truth and her famous “Aint I Woman” speech?
What stood out from this conversation for me is my friend’s reluctance to admit race was very much so apart of our lives. She called me a racist for saying race was very much a part of the lives of black people. People of color are constantly discriminated against whether they consciously think about it or not. This inspired me to think about aspects of my life and determine how much of my existence and the people around existence are determined by our race?
I attended an all black school as well as many black children in Chicago and what does this mean? Illinois behind New York has the biggest gap in funded between white and black children. Thousands more are spent on white children. This means a greater education for one group than the other. Then right-wing conservatives and Ward Connelly’s uncle tom ass argue against affirmative action. You’re right some of those blacks’ students aren’t prepared for college. It’s not because they aren’t as smart no it’s because their education was filled with a curriculum that didn’t prepare them for college. Think about it even the highest performing students at some all black schools aren’t prepared for college because they receive an education comparable to their white counterparts. What happened to the progress made by Board v Education like fifty years ago?
How about housing? I grew up in all black neighborhood riddled with violence, crime and poverty. MLK made a comment once about the segregation of Chicago and still forty years later that segregation exists. There’s countless of communities in Chicago blacks don’t even make up a percentage of the population or it’s so insignificant it’s not even worth mentioning.
There’s the obvious injustice of our criminal ‘justice’ system. There’s no secret blacks make up around 13% of drug users even though you probably couldn’t tell if you lived on the Southside of Chicago lol but make up around 70% of all prosecuted drug offenders. This means jails are filled with non-violent drug offenders. One in eight black men between the ages of 20-34 are in prison. And the rates of black women are rising as well. I would need another note to describe the rampant sexual assault of imprisoned women. The reality is most convicts return to prison. For those who want attend to college upon release the government won’t assist them if they’ve been convicted of a felony.
My friend said some black people are lazy. UM some people from every race are lazy. In hard economic times, blacks suffer the most. Unemployment rates for blacks are always higher than whites but when you factor in a recession forget about it. How many black and Latino families lost their homes in this mortgage crisis? Countless. And why did black and Latino lose their homes in such a disproportionate way I don’t know maybe it’s because minorities are targeted for those shitty sub prime loans? Black women are supposedly welfare queens… please last time I checked the banks were getting bailed out. Right now the auto industry and banks are the real welfare kings.
If we think about it globally people of color are the poorest people on the earth.
I will use the words of my favorite columnist Mary Mitchell and say talking about race doesn’t mean you are racist. Furthermore not talking about race is like ignoring a big ass pink elephant in your living room-it can’t be done. Ignoring racism doesn’t change anything I would say just the opposite is necessary. I will end this by saying I applaud the countless individuals that participated in the civil rights movement and it saddens me to think I live in a generation that doesn’t realize the fight isn’t over.
Any thoughts?…
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Friday, February 5, 2010
The Strong Black Woman
The Strong Black Woman.
In my GWS/Afro class we discussed the Moynihan Report. Moynihan’s idea was the problem with the black family is that the black woman had too much power and the men were emasculated. I have a problem with this for so many reasons.
First off usually the image of the strong black woman is a woman who is loud, aggressive, confrontational and all around unpleasant. She never smiles and is very difficult to deal with. You know the lip smacking, rolling her eyes pointing her finger type of woman. Or a strong black woman means a single mother who is working hard to raise her children. I say lets re-examine the definition of the strong black woman. Couldn’t a strong black woman be mild mannered, articulate, educated and childless? Couldn’t a strong black woman be easy going? Shouldn’t a strong black woman be a woman who’s after positive change in her life and for those around her?
Another observation of mine and anyone is free to argue with me on this is usually that in your face type of woman is not strong at all but quite the opposite. I would say she doesn’t emasculated her man at all and that she actually needs to be more assertive. Lets think about it. There are plenty of woman who demand and receive nothing from their partners. How many people have friends who’ve never been on dates? Grown ass women who cant say they’ve been picked up and taken to dinner and a movie. She is okay with being a baby momma or a girlfriend for seven years. Many women date men who are ok with having sex with them unprotected, ok with getting them pregnant, ok with living with them but not ok with marrying them. Think about it ladies, how many of us have a friend who has contracted a disease from a guy because he refused to wear a condom? Its no wonder that black women are rapidly contracting HIV. The black woman needs to be a tad bit stronger. I’m a firm believer in the saying you teach people how to treat you. And if you accept anything you get anything.
I would continue to argue that the black woman’s most prized possession is her man. The black woman doesn’t emasculate her man , the black woman loves her man. Its black woman that the black woman doesn’t like . The constant bad looks or stares, black women give other black women. Most black men can do no wrong. How many defend R. Kelly or Chris Brown and men like him? And then on the flip side tear down a woman and calling her a whore and a bitch in a minute. Oftentimes sisterhood is lost.
And if the black woman is strong its because she had to be. There wasn’t a strong black man when she needed one.
Also I would like to address the issue so when does the presence of a strong black woman mean the men are weak. If black communities are going to thrive, isn’t both strong black men and women needed? I think both black men and women need higher standards for themselves.
I hope what I wrote isn’t misconstrued. All I meant here is to say I believe the image of the strong black woman that ‘s perpetuated in the media is wrong. I think the black woman need higher standards. I think the black man needs to meet those standards. What I want to do here is ask what do you think it means to be a strong black woman? What do you think are the problems with black families? its definitely not the issue of black women asserting themselves
In my GWS/Afro class we discussed the Moynihan Report. Moynihan’s idea was the problem with the black family is that the black woman had too much power and the men were emasculated. I have a problem with this for so many reasons.
First off usually the image of the strong black woman is a woman who is loud, aggressive, confrontational and all around unpleasant. She never smiles and is very difficult to deal with. You know the lip smacking, rolling her eyes pointing her finger type of woman. Or a strong black woman means a single mother who is working hard to raise her children. I say lets re-examine the definition of the strong black woman. Couldn’t a strong black woman be mild mannered, articulate, educated and childless? Couldn’t a strong black woman be easy going? Shouldn’t a strong black woman be a woman who’s after positive change in her life and for those around her?
Another observation of mine and anyone is free to argue with me on this is usually that in your face type of woman is not strong at all but quite the opposite. I would say she doesn’t emasculated her man at all and that she actually needs to be more assertive. Lets think about it. There are plenty of woman who demand and receive nothing from their partners. How many people have friends who’ve never been on dates? Grown ass women who cant say they’ve been picked up and taken to dinner and a movie. She is okay with being a baby momma or a girlfriend for seven years. Many women date men who are ok with having sex with them unprotected, ok with getting them pregnant, ok with living with them but not ok with marrying them. Think about it ladies, how many of us have a friend who has contracted a disease from a guy because he refused to wear a condom? Its no wonder that black women are rapidly contracting HIV. The black woman needs to be a tad bit stronger. I’m a firm believer in the saying you teach people how to treat you. And if you accept anything you get anything.
I would continue to argue that the black woman’s most prized possession is her man. The black woman doesn’t emasculate her man , the black woman loves her man. Its black woman that the black woman doesn’t like . The constant bad looks or stares, black women give other black women. Most black men can do no wrong. How many defend R. Kelly or Chris Brown and men like him? And then on the flip side tear down a woman and calling her a whore and a bitch in a minute. Oftentimes sisterhood is lost.
And if the black woman is strong its because she had to be. There wasn’t a strong black man when she needed one.
Also I would like to address the issue so when does the presence of a strong black woman mean the men are weak. If black communities are going to thrive, isn’t both strong black men and women needed? I think both black men and women need higher standards for themselves.
I hope what I wrote isn’t misconstrued. All I meant here is to say I believe the image of the strong black woman that ‘s perpetuated in the media is wrong. I think the black woman need higher standards. I think the black man needs to meet those standards. What I want to do here is ask what do you think it means to be a strong black woman? What do you think are the problems with black families? its definitely not the issue of black women asserting themselves
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