Black Women : The Body Of A Black American Women

The health of a nation plays an integral part in the overall success and economic well being of a particular country. The United Stated, while pouring more money into the healthcare system than any other country, still stands as a broken system with inadequate care for many citizens. One of the most marginalized groups of people, African American women, continually score alarmingly low on basic measures of overall health. The healthcare discrepancies between white and black women in the United States are alarming, and they reveal flaws in the American health care system as a whole.

Patriarchy’s Scapegoat: Black womanhood and femininity – A critique of racism, gender inequality, anti-blackness, and historical exploitation of black women.

As stated in Webster's II Dictionary, a woman is defined to be an adult female human. In today's society being an African American woman is a rigid task to live up to. It means to reside to what their ancestors have left behind, which means to be stronger than ever. Rosa Parks was strong, Harriet Tubman was also strong, and Jezebel was even stronger. So what exactly does it mean to be a woman? It means to stand up for what is right, even if that means sacrifice, it means to be strong whether it be physically, emotionally, or mentally. African American women are perceived to be the backbone of the family, meaning that even though the male may support the family financially, that the women have the emotional and mental part in the bag.

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.

Black women’s bodies have always been seen as different. They are deemed as exotic and highly sexual because of the protruding nature and curvaceous shape of their hips, butts, and breast. An example of this exoticism and ridicule can be traced back to the early 1800s. Sarah Baartman, also known as the “Hottentot Venus” became an object of fascination, degradation, and humiliation. Her features were not foreign to Khoisan Women. However, the Europeans who kidnapped her and the people who went to view her body as an exhibit could not believe how big her butt, breast, and hips were. Sarah did not fit into the white standardized image of the body, so her body was seen was unnatural and even un-human. One online magazine writer asserts that, “what

Alicia Keys is reiterating an identity that is universally accepted by most African-American women (Harris-Perry 184). This is the cultural identity of the Strong Black Woman (SBW): self-reliant, tough, and hardworking. Stuart Hall defines cultural identities as, “[A] sort of collective ‘one true self’, hiding inside the many other, more superficial or artificially imposed ‘selves’, which many people shared history and ancestry hold in common” (Hall 223). SBW is a self-construction manifested by black women in the Americas. It is used a coping mechanism in response to pervasive sexism and racism. The SBW construct dates back to slavery because the image projects traits of all three stereotypes established during the era of slavery: She looks like the Mammy but is loyal to the black community; She does not require physical and emotional security from men, thus, she resembles the Jezebel; She is angry, just like the Sapphire (Harris-Perry 187). This paper unveils the unfavorable impact of the Strong Black Woman (SBW) cultural identity in the Americas. The argument is centered on the effect of this cultural image on the private sphere, public sphere, and the health of black women. The paper also proposes

Since the early 1900s, Black women have had a fascination with their hair. More explicitly, they have had a fascination with straightening their hair. The need to be accepted by the majority class has caused them to do so. Though the image of straight hair as being better than coarse hair still hasn’t left the Black community, there has been a surge of non straight hairstyles since the nineteen sixties. Wearing more natural hairstyles, which ironically enough include ‘weaves’ and ‘hair extensions’ has been considered to be more empowered and more enlightened. However, this image comes with a price, and though it appears the ‘natural’ hairstyle movement has advanced Black women, it has actually set

In the next five years, I would like to have become more independent than I already am as an 18 year old girl. The independence would come with me owning my own home, paying for my own groceries, and other necessities that I have. However, the next four years will consist of me finishing up my bachelor’s degree at Troy University and be engaged to a man in the Armed Forces. My unknown husband will possess the same values and morals that I live by everyday. During the fifth year, an acceptance letter to Florida State University’s medical program is where I would like to attend to become a doctor. After, medical school I will complete my 2 year residency to become one of few of an African- American woman anesthesiologist. Once settled in my occupation,

I did not like reading your novel Between the World and Me because your harsh words and overwhelming logic left me with a bitter feeling about the world. I feel that your book did an excellent job of explaining what growing up black in America is like, however, I also felt that it was overly dour. I have experienced some of the things you detailed in your book: the vulnerabilities of the black body, America’s captivation with the Dream, but even so I feel I cannot help but feel as though you’re missing several key elements. I believe that the ideas in Between the World and Me:

“No other group in America has so had their identity socialized out of existence as have Black women… when Black people are talked about the focus tends to be on Black men; and when women are talked about the focus tends to be on white women.” - Bell Hooks

African American women have been purposefully written out of visual history with the exception of scripted roles that have been predetermined by stereotypical scripts that are imbedded in the collective psyche of American audiences beginning in the 1890s. Dorothy Dandridge was a sensational performer that commanded attention and left her audiences awestruck on screen and in life. At the age of eleven, I recall sitting in front of the television for a special televised movie, called “Introducing Dorothy Dandridge.” The film opens with a somber score and voiceover of Dorothy (Halle Berry) asking the audience, “Have you ever caught sight of yourself by accident… And, you see yourself from the outside… That’s who you really are… That question captured my wondering eleven-year-old mind and immediately pulled me into the world of a woman who was familiar to me. She was familiar in her storytelling and questioning even before an image broke the continuity of credits on flashing on the screen. My mother has always loved mirrors. In one room there would be at least two mirrors suspended on the walls. I have caught many glimpses of myself over the years, so I knew exactly what she meant in asking the question. It’s a question that continues to be answered by Hollywood of black women, but without their input or consent. The question is why?

In the reading, it talks about how white people feared black sexuality and how the focus has been on women 's sexuality. Black women were often victimized as slaves and slavery was defined as such. During slavery African American women we notorious for being pregnant and always bearing children. They beared those children because the whites anticipated more slave workers and even being sold to others. During slavery the slave owners maintained wealth and good “breeder women”. Some children were as young as 6 and 7 years old, working in the fields with their parents. Those children often saw their parent get beat with whips and chains and the behavior was soon turned to them as they got older.

Clank. The metal rod pushed down forcefully, flung the whining rusted door open to the city skyline at sunset. A deep inhale. Then a gasp. Sneakers scraping and tapping against the pavement toward the north edge of the rooftop.

What is Misogynoir? Black queer feminist, Moya Bailey coined this term in 2010 to describe the racialized sexism that black women face; This is mostly shown in American pop culture and Media causing people of all races to internalize this. This paper will not only be explaining the term in depth but breaking down the root causes and action plans to be taken to educate both men and women on this term. For this paper, I ‘ve conducted many interviews with a number of black men and women, in these interviews I asked them questions about themselves, their families and about both their romantic and non-romantic relationships. I also asked questions about their journey in the world of blackness, because every black journey is different.

The term womanism is coined by Alice Walker, the author best known for her book “The Color Purple.” Walker used the term for the first time in 1983, when she talked about the womanist theory in her book In Search of Our Mother’s Gardens: Womanist prose. The womanist movement centres on the feminist effort of black women. Womanism grew because activists felt that the feminist movement did not fully cover the plight of black women. Rather than focusing on social change or activism, womanism (sometimes referred to as “black feminism”) focuses more on celebrating womanhood and the African American woman’s strength and experiences. When they push for change and attention to social issues, womanists focus on racism and class