During the past century, a black woman has often faced discrimination, violence, and abuse. This is because many white men have regarded women of color as inferior and oppressed. In order to fight back against this, many black women have taken a stand and are speaking out. In this article, I’m going to examine how black women are using intersectional feminist theory to fight against white supremacy. I’m also going to look at the many authors who are using this theory to advocate for and educate black women.
Authors who promote and educate black women
During the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century, many African American women writers were bringing the voices and experiences of Black women to the forefront of American culture and society. Increasing access to education led to a period of literary productivity, with hundreds of texts being published in the second half of the century. These writers have helped to bring Black woman’s experience to millions of readers. They have also written about the bondage that many ex-slaves faced, examining the relationships between race and social class.
“In Pursuit of Knowledge,” a new book published by NYU Press, examines the plight of young African American women during the nineteenth century as they sought educational opportunities. It traces the pivotal moments in the education of African American women during the era, and analyzes the strategies they deployed.
The book is written by Kabria Baumgartner, an assistant professor of American studies at the University of New Hampshire at Durham. Baumgartner specializes in the early history of African American culture. She has published articles in journals and has won several awards for her research. She is also an advocate for the narrative inclusion of Black artists in the media.
The book “In Pursuit of Knowledge” tells the story of school desegregation in the nineteenth-century northeast. It highlights the efforts of young African American women to expand their minds and gain teaching opportunities.
In the late twentieth century, the civil rights movement created a national interest in Black people. During this time, many Black women writers wrote about the relationship between race and social class, and about the impact of Jim Crow on Black lives.
“The Color Purple,” a novel written by Alice Walker, was a staple of Black literature. It won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1983. It was also turned into a film in 1995.
Anna Julia Haywood Cooper is another of the authors who promote and educate black women. She attended Oberlin College on a scholarship, and then taught at the Washington Colored High School in Washington, D.C. She was the first African American woman to teach in a college classroom. She championed the rights of women in education, claiming that the struggle for full citizenship and equal school rights was part of a broader struggle for belonging.
Power dynamics amplified
Besides being a sexy black woman, I am a voracious reader of literature, science and art. This coupled with a penchant for techie gizmos has rewarded me with the coveted duds aplenty. As a graduate student with a budget to burn, I have no excuses for stumbling on to my ilk’s favorite snobbier and the sexiest. As an aficionado of social media, I can’t resist the opportunity to engage my female peers in a bit of girl time. I have a plethora of female friends, colleagues, and relatives, and I am willing to bet that I have a few more in the wings. The only problem is that it is hard to keep track of them all. This is a problem I am sure I’ll be solving on a consistent basis.
The following are a few of my favorite female fodder: one is a philanthropist, the other is a neophyte, and the third is an aficionado of all things academic, and an avid reader of literature. To make a dent in my to-do list, I have created a small, but manageable, and highly interactive, “community” of sorts. Its members are a diverse bunch who aren’t afraid of a good idea, and a few eagle scouts who have the gift of the gab.
Fighting the white supremacist patriarchy through intersectional feminist theory
Activist Rachel Cargle’s ‘Race 101’ lecture at the inaugural Antiracist Book Festival at American University in Washington DC last month gave a spirited look at the ways in which intersectional feminist theory can help us address and combat racism. She spoke on a number of themes including the history of race, the role of power in race, and the real meaning of the white man’s burden.
Cargle’s lecture was the first in a series on the intersection of race and gender, and she is developing an online course. Despite her frankness, her perspective can be a bit daunting for enlightened white women. Her perspective is not a fix to white racism, but rather a rallying cry to action.
The intersectional feminist approach is a good way to see the complexities of oppression and to understand the role of race and gender in defining the material and ideological conditions of daily life. It can also lead to coalition building. However, it should be used in a multi-cultural context and not as a weapon against each other.
The intersectional approach also teaches us that we can learn from the past and from each other. It also shows us that racial and gender identities are used to shape material conditions, and as a means of governing populations. The most interesting facets of the intersectional approach are not necessarily those that address racial and gender identities. It is the material and ideological conditions of daily life that must be addressed.
The decolonial approach is another way to address the complicated history of imperialism and slavery. It is also the most efficient way to see the true cost of white supremacy. It shows us that while we may have been freed from slavery, we still owe the rest of the world a lot of the world’s wealth.
Likewise, the materialist approach shows us that we can learn from our own lives. The cis-gendered, bourgeois people of color are the most resilient. However, they also share a lot in common with white supremacists, like a shared sense of entitlement.