African American Women In The Modern Era

The 1930’s were hard times for the entire working class, but as usual in history, minorities were hit the hardest. Especially the African American society had to suffer the most under the effects of the great economic depression; they were the first to be discharged from their jobs and the last to be hired. African Americans were even pushed out of jobs, which were previously scorned out by whites. Even if they were allowed to keep their jobs, they still had to face daily racism. Compared to the white folks, the wages of African American workers were at least 30% below white’s wages, even when performing the same job; considering, that even the normal wage of a white American was not enough to cover the subsistent level of expanses of a household.

Women were not only used for their labor, but were also exploited sexually. Slave owners felt they had the right to use black women for their own sexual desires, and felt they had the right to use their bodies for slave breeding. This obscenity between the master and slave were not only psychologically damaging for black women, but would also lead to physical abuse. In her narrative, Ms. Jacobs gives us a firsthand description of the abuse that would occur if she were to upset her master, “Some months before, he had pitched me down stairs in a fit of passion; and the injury I received was so serious that I was unable to turn myself in bed for many days”

In the 1920’s, blues was a very popular and dominating genre in the music industry. Generally, the blues was sung by African American women because according to the book entitled, “Blues Legacies and Black Feminism” by Angela Davis, “…The most widely heard individual purveyors of the blues—were women.” (Davis 4) The blues delivers certain emotions such as sadness, loneliness, love, sex, and feelings about the certain circumstances the artist may be going through at the time. Two women who dominate this style of music are Gertrude “Ma” Rainey and Bessie Smith. As stated by “Gay & Lesbian Biography”, “The careers of Rainey and Smith are closely interwoven.” Ma Rainey is a woman who is admired for both her amazing vocals and her ability to entertain. Bessie Smith is a woman who started off as a background dancer for her peer Ma Rainey, but then went on to emulate her by outdoing her success. Both women are very talented musicians who can not only sing and entertain, but they also create an impact as two of the most influential feminists during the 1920’s who helped shape the blues into what it is today.

By 1815, slavery within America was already institutionalised affecting the majority of African Americans; by 1860, there were 3.5 to 4.4 million enslaved African Americans as a result of the Atlantic Slave Trade in comparison to the 488,000–500,000 free African Americans. The Emancipation Proclamation (1863) freed all enslaved African Americans; nonetheless, African Americans were still considered inferior. Especially African American women who were treated significantly worse- sexually exploited, rejected by various southern suffragette groups as well as the National Woman Suffrage Association which opposed the 15th Amendment, enabling African American men to vote, fearing the setback it could cause women in obtaining the vote. Historian Deborah Gray White highlighted the status of being an African American woman stating that being "Black in a white society, slave in a free society, woman in a society ruled by men, female slaves had the least formal power and were perhaps the most vulnerable group of antebellum America." From 1815 to 1917, the lives of white women improved economically, socially and politically. Nevertheless, the improvement of African American women could be questioned. Therefore, this essay will focus on how the lives of African American women from 1815 to 1917 were marked by continuity rather than a period of change and improvement.

African American women advocate for social change in the Progressive Era by forming and participating in an organization that advocates for women suffrage, racial violence, and improvement of social conditions.

African-American ladies played significant bolster parts amid the Colonial time frame by giving help to the volunteer army. Their help included parts, for example, moving into the "huge house" to bolster the slave owner’s significant other when he left to serve in the volunteer army, dealing with wounds, and working close by the men in building fortresses for security from both the Indians and the British.

Women make up half of the United states population according to the US census bureau, however women have been historically underrepresented in the business environment (7. US census). If women could overcome the challenges that seem to affect them in business they could become an integral part of the future workforce as it grows in many women based industries. What challenges could be holding women back from their full potential in the business world? The first part of my research question to be addressed that would allow an adequate understanding of the subject would be to find the challenges that specifically women as a gender group may face in business, I believe this will help to understand what effects they have on the challenges that African American Women(AAW) face. Although women owned business have been steadily increasing rapidly in growth in the US economy there are certain challenges that specifically African American women have been found to have to face that may hinder them from reaching the same potential afforded their male counterparts. In a journal writing written by the international labor organization(ILO) they focused on these challenges that women business owners face and some of these specific questions were addressed. (8 I.L.O)

Nearly 50,000 African- American women are killed by cardiovascular diseases (CVD)annually.3 Sedentary lifestyle/physical inactivity and overweight/obesity are two significant risk factors for CVD in African-American women.2 Prevention is possible by reversing community acquired behavioral risks, especially in African-American women, such as diet, exercise, and blood pressure control. However, minority women have limited access to health care resources. This disparity is even more evident in Southern African-American women.2 It is reported that 57% of these women lack leisure time activity, and 43% are either overweight or obese.2

Women have come a long way in the past century. From establishing the girl scouts of the USA to winning the first Olympic gold medal, women have accomplished many things and while we have achieved much, there is still much needed to be done for all of women across the country. Women are seen as second class citizens in the US and people are starting to wake up and realize it. For every dollar a man makes women gets about 21 cents less. That may not seem like much but it does add up over the years. According to Bustle.com, “Hispanic women lose an astounding $1,007,080 over a 40-year career, and African American women lose $877,480. Asian American women average $365,440 in losses.” Looking at these figures, you can tell

“Only by experience can any one realize how deep, and dark, and foul is that pit of abominations.” (Jacobs, 120). These words are spoken by Harriet Jacobs (also known as Linda Brent) and after reading about her life experience as a slave, I have come to believe that slavery was far worse for women than it ever was for men. Jacobs never states that black slave men had it easy during the slave years, in fact she tells a few stories about how some slave men were beaten. She also tells about the life experience of a slave girl, herself. Her own experiences made me feel blessed that I was never born as a black woman during the time of slavery. I do not think that I would have been strong enough to endure

As of late, the measure of writing on ladies' administration has expanded; be that as it may, few studies investigate administration improvement of African American ladies in the scholarly world and business. A significant part of the writing has been constrained to the customarily characterized perspectives of authority. That is, a large portion of the examination focused on leadership and managerial angles received by White males in the corporate

What defines a person? It was believed in the United States, for a better part of the 20th century, that what defined a person was merely the color of one’s skin. It is actually more complex than the definition provided. It is one’s life experiences, such as where one lives and the things one deals with. The experiences of African Americans in the 20th century have been similar, mostly experiencing lives filled with affliction. Rather than their skin color, it was the hardships they faced that define what being an African American was all about. On a more specific level, what did it mean to be black in the United States? It meant several things: Firstly, it meant to be discriminated against and to face much racism. Secondly, it was inferred they were culturally inferior. It was of wide belief in the United States that African Americans were a “culturally deficient” sub species of man, below whites. This term is somewhat of an oxymoron. Culture is defined by social habits, language, and beliefs. Since everyone has social habits, languages and beliefs, it is impossible to be culturally deficient. By way of circumstance, African Americans developed their own culture in the United States. Ideologies of culture were brought upon the United States mainly by whites. The white culture was considered right, and the black culture was wrong. It was removed from what was the best culture, therefore, in essence, culturally inferior. Being African American in the United States also meant

“He told me that I was made for his use, made to obey his command in every thing; that I was nothing but a slave, whose will must and should surrender to his…” The treatment of slaves varied in their personal experiences as well as in the experiences of others they knew, but Harriet Jacobs phenomenally described the dynamics of the relationship between many female slaves and their superiors with these words from her personal narrative, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl (1861). Before slavery was outlawed it was not uncommon for young female slaves to be sexually abused and exploited by their masters. Although many people know about the cruelty of the sexual assaults that made too many young girls victims of rape in the Antebellum South, most people are unaware of the complexity of the issue and how many different ways these women were abused.

Jacobs autobiography which is known by the name of ‘Incidents in a Life of a Slave Girl’ gave a true account of the treatment that black women faced during that time and also throwing some light on a perception which has been kept in shadows from the society. While writing the story of her life, Jacobs though focused on her defeat due to obstacles like race and gender, gave voice to something which was hidden from society regardless of the presence of patriarchal society of the nineteenth century.

To begin, Harriett Jacobs carefully formulates a narrative that depicts the lives of slave girls and women as it truly was lived. Rather than conform to the readers' tastes and avoid the horrible gruesome details of the lives of female slaves, Jacobs grasps these events and passionately depicts them to her readers in hopes of some form of compassion. She knows her readers are never going to completely understand what women in slavery went through (it would take living it to comprehend) but she feels to protect them from these truths is only greater blurring the understanding of these issues. Jacobs details her life in hopes that her audience will begin to understand the hardships undertaken by innocent black women in the south and no longer sit quietly by and watch. Jacobs states that slavery is far more appalling for women; "they have wrongs, and sufferings, and mortifications peculiarly their own" (825). In order to truly touch her intended audience, she brings up topics that all women, free or enslaved, can understand - adultery, family, love. She hopes that by creating a piece that touches the personal lives of women, she will make it difficult for them not to stand in her shoes, even if just for a moment.