The Black Feminist Movement

Survey of African American Literature, Fall 2013 MILLS COLLEGE

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Hanging Fire

I am fourteen and my skin has betrayed me    the boy I cannot live without    still sucks his thumb in secret how come my knees are always so ashy what if I die before morning and momma's in the bedroom    with the door closed.

I have to learn how to dance    in time for the next party    my room is too small for me   suppose I die before graduation    they will sing sad melodies    but finally tell the truth about me There is nothing I want to do    and too much that has to be done and momma's in the bedroom   with the door closed.

Nobody even stops to think    about my side of it I should have been on Math Team    my marks were better than his    why do I have to be the one wearing braces I have nothing to wear tomorrow    will I live long enough to grow up and momma's in the bedroom    with the door closed.

-Audre Lorde

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“In order to rise From its own ashes A phoenix First Must Burn.”

-Octavia Butler, Parable of the Talents

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Third World Women's Alliance 1970

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"Black literature is taught as sociology, as tolerance, not as a serious, rigorous art form." - Toni Morrison

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Be Nobody's Darling

Be nobody's darling;  Be an outcast. Take the contradictions Of your life And wrap around You like a shawl, To parry stones To keep you warm. Watch the people succumb To madness With ample cheer;  Let them look askance at you And you askance reply. Be an outcast;  Be pleased to walk alone (Uncool)  Or line the crowded River beds With other impetuous Fools. Make a merry gathering On the bank Where thousands perished For brave hurt words They said. But be nobody's darling;  Be an outcast. Qualified to live Among your dead.

-Alice Walker

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Audre Lorde

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Annotated Bibliography Source 10

Gumbs, Alexis P. "The Shape of My Impact." The Feminist Wire. N.p., 29th Oct. 2012. Web. 11 Dec. 2013

Through the lens of an examination of " black lesbian poet warrior mother teacher" Audre Lorde, Gumbs presents the lasting impact of inspiration, powerful words and a powerful woman on the Black feminist movement. Gumbs illuminates the beauty of the world "Survival" in her mind, as a word that demonstrates the human ability to live, despite all odds. This power of survival directly plays into Gumb's analysis on Audre Lorde and the Black Feminist Movement. Gumbs brings up the film Audre Lorde: The Berlin Years as a means to honor what she believes to be an amazing depiction of Lorde, and a survival of Lorde. She also questions the ideas of Black feminists working in Universities because of the lack of care they received from those universities. Because of the promise of financial stability, Gumbs believes that many people sell themselves short because they are afraid to "survive" without the aid of the system. She concludes her article with an examination of her own survival and a call for her readers to examine theirs by saying, "May we never sell our legacy for a mess of ego and scholar-styled swag. May we refuse to exploit our legacy in order to earn more exploitation". The strong sentiments displayed by Gumbs makes this article powerful and compelling, as well as informative to the impact of "survival" on Black feminists everywhere.

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Protesters Sign

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Annotated Bibliography Source 9

Ruffin, Ravon. "Finding Black Feminism: A Revelation of Black Hair." The Feminist Wire. N.p., 31 May 2013. Web. 10 Dec. 2013

The normalized White culture in society makes it so that women who are not white must try to fit those white ideals in order to be deemed attractive. Ruffin examines one of the main identifiers of difference: hair. She also examines her own identity as a Black woman and her relationship with her hair. She brings up the "Black is Beautiful" aspect of the Black Arts Movement in which participants of the movement let their hair grow the way it was designed to, and not the way society told them it should be. By using this example, Ruffin questions if the very basic principles of "Black hair" could be a movement in of itself. The main problem that Ruffin addresses is the fact that letting a woman of colors hair stay in its natural state is often times seen as a deviance from the norm. Through the lens of black feminist thought, Ruffin delves into a basic aspect of human beings: hair, and the way that the racialized system forces women to conform to things that are naturally different. In conclusion she challenges her readers to take a stand for their bodies and their rights by not apologizing for their differences. 

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Annotated Bibliography Source 8

Taylor, Ula. "The Historical Evolution of Black Feminist Theory and Praxis." Journal of Black Studies 29.2. 1998. 234-53. Web.

This article examines the historical basis of Feminist thought and the interactions between historical context and practice. Taylor delves into the mid 1850's when the Women's liberation movement really started going, also offering the work and effort of Black women to be included within that movement. Because of the 15th amendment and the end of slavery, Black women were presented with a chance to join forces with White women to end the oppression they all faced. However, racism and ignorance to intersectionality made the efforts of Black women to be included in the liberation movement a last ditch effort by those within the movement. It did not get easier with time, as Taylor shows how every time Black women attempted to alleviate their status they were met with anger, ignorance and closed ears. She noted that second wave feminism was a huge turning point for Black women because it granted them a much wider audience because of the advent of the television. Not only that, but with the Civil Rights Movement of 1964, Black women had more perceived freedom then ever before. But again, the feminist movement was not aimed at Black women, but middle class White women, making the need for a Black feminist movement even more apparent. Taylor mentions that the Black Power Movement had an incredible impact on Black women because of its incredibly male-centered ideology. Because of all of these aspects, the Black Feminist movement became a place for Black women to seek refuge and understanding to the many oppressions that they faced. Taylor's article is an effective examination of history's never ending battle to ignore the oppression of Black women, and Black women's response to continue to fight for their rights. 

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Annotated Bibliography Source 7

King, Deborah K. "Multiple Jeopardy, Multiple Consciousness: The Context of a Black Feminist Ideology." Signs. 1st ed. Vol. 14. Chicago: University of Chicago, 1988. 42-72. Print.

King examines the historical tendency to compare the oppression of sex to the oppression of race. She argues that "The necessity of addressing all oppressions is one of the hallmarks of black feminist thought", and not comparing oppression, but instead understanding those oppressions and the differences they may create. Through this lens King illuminates the historical context of Black female identity and the concept of "double jeopardy", meaning the the fact that Black women must face the racism and oppression because of their skin, and the oppression from white and black men for being a woman. She adds that it should be triple jeopardy, because of the added oppression of socio-economic status. However, she believes that feminist theory has been too simplistic in describing these double and triple jeopardys, which led to the ignorance to those oppressions because of the over-simplification of them. King utilizes statistics, scholarly quotes and references and analysis to illustrate her points on the interlocking oppressions that are a daily part of Black women's lives. King states that "In a curious twist of fate, we find ourselves marginal to both the movements for women's liberation and black liberation irrespective of our victimization under the dual discriminations of racism and sexism". Because of all of these reasons, King demonstrates the incredible need for a strong Black feminist ideology, because it empowers and gives a voice to Black women. She concludes that it can be difficult to grasp the complexities of oppressions, but in order to move forward they need to be understood and not over-simplified so that they can be changed. 

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Stayceyann Chin, "Feminist or a Womanist"

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Annotated Bibliography Source 6

Williams, Maxine. Why Women's Liberation Is Important to Black Women. New York: Pathfinder Press, 1970. Print.

In this article Maxine Williams presents the myth of the Black Matriarchy and its "contribution" to the downfall of Black families. This theory was started by a pamphlet distributed by the American government to propagate the myth that because of the system of slavery and the fact that Black women had to work just as much as Black men did,that this has led to the downfall of the Black family because of the emasculation of the man. Williams uses history to display the fear instilled within White society of a deviance from the "norm" and of the male fear of losing the control and power they are given over women. Williams addresses the patriarchal fear of an independent woman, and how historically this has been shown time and time again, leaving the myth of the Black matriarchy only a myth. Her demonstration that the perceived powers of Black women during slavery were actually oppressive uses of power over Black women help prove her points that the idealization of a downfall of the Black family because of the woman is nothing more than fantasy. But because of this prominent fantasy, Williams explains the incredible need for a women's liberation movement that includes all women so that they can fight the empirical patriarchal male and eventually change the system. 

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Annotated Bibliography Source 5

Butler, Anthea. "Women of Color and Feminism: A History Lesson and Way Forward." RH Reality Check. Rhrealitycheck.org, 28 July 2013. Web. 10 Dec. 2013. 

In this article Butler examines the state of feminism and privilege today. Butler identified the problems she sees with the state of feminism today by saying, "...larger problem in feminism: the inability to see or identify with women of color who are feminists". This tension between the larger feminist movement and women of color is one that Butler believes has always been there, but now needs to be acknowledged by White feminists so that it can be changed. Butler utilizes the history of "Privileged Positions" and "The Rise of Womanism" to examine the way that the feminist movement has unfolded and what is still desperately needed to continue moving forward as a whole. She examines intersectionality and the idea that women of color have always had to be aware of their intersections of identity because they have never had the luxury of only focusing on issues that affect [white] women. The simple fact that there is a "range of oppression" is brought home in this article, as Butler continues to reinforce the idea that the underlying privilege within the broader feminist movement excludes women of color because of its lack of acknowledgment of intersectionality. Butler argues that now, with the advent of the internet and the ability to share and receive information in seconds, that it is not the responsibility of Black feminists or women of color to educate white feminists on their own privilege. She says, "Ignoring our common struggles and presence because of white privilege and historical ignorance is no longer an excuse". It is the responsibility of those white feminists to acknowledge their positions in society so that all sides can work together with more understanding and recognition of the true problems at hand. 

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A reprinted page an article written by Patricia Robinson

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We exist as women who are Black who are feminists, each stranded for the moment, working independently because there is not yet an environment in this society remotely congenial to our struggle-[or our thoughts].

-Michele Wallace, A Black Feminist's Search for Sisterhood