Contrary to popular belief, racism and sexism are not mutually exclusive. More often than not, one can find racial discrimination closely connected to gender discrimination and vice versa. Kelly Brown Douglas, author of Sexuality and the Black Church: A Womanist Perspective, makes this connection evident in her chapter “Stereotypes, False Images, Terrorism: The White Assault upon Black Sexuality”. She discusses elements of gender and sexual stereotypes involved in racism and how they are still a detriment to black women and men today. Teresa Delgado similarly dissects the involvement of gender and sex in racism in the chapter “This is My Body...Given for You: Theological Anthropology Latina/Mente”. Delgado focuses on young girls who are forced into the sex trafficking ring and how religion is often used …show more content…
Before taking any steps forward toward solving the problem, the Christian community should start accepting the framework for sexual ethics Margaret Farley outlines in her book, Just love: a Framework for Christian Sexual Ethics. Under Farley’s framework, the racial discrimination Black and Latina women face through their sexuality is a clear violation on every possible basis. According to Farley, every individual must have a sense of autonomy (Farley ). In the case of sex trafficking, the girls forced into it do not have a say in what happens to their body. They do not get to choose whether or not they would like to sacrifice their bodies for their family nor do they get to choose how the men they come into contact with are able to interact with them (consequently spreading HIV/AIDS). Also, sexual stereotypes were forced onto black people through the institution of slavery. Slavery is an obvious violation of an individual's personal autonomy and their right to free consent. Therefore, black people should not be upheld to any standard created by the institution of
Michael Pickering presents numerous concepts of stereotypes in his book Stereotyping: The Politics of Representation, that can be applied to a myriad of situations and texts. His most valid points comprise of, but are not limited to, stereotyping as a gain and loss as well as how stereotyping creates an inflexible way of thinking. These concepts are plainly exhibited in Junot Diaz’s How to Date a Brown Girl (Black Girl, White Girl, or Halfie); a story giving explicit directions on how to treat certain races of girls in order to have sexual relations with them and how far they would be sexually expected to go.
Helena Maria Viramontes’s novel, Under the Feet of Jesus, develops a narrative humanizing a family of Mexican American migrant agricultural workers who reside in different California labor camps. The complex relationship between thirteen-year-old Estrella and her mother, Petra, sheds light on the role of women in the novel and within the Mexican American community. Often relegated to the sidelines of society, Viramontes proves these women have wide-ranging influence domestically and socially as community and safety are built around the mother figure. Whether “the mother” is the Virgin Mary or Petra herself, women are essentially allowed one of two roles outside of motherhood: Madonna or Whore, Angel or Madwoman. Proving the impacts of these constraints, Viramontes utilizes Estrella’s character as a way
This narrative speaks volumes about the author’s culture, which describes her religion, as well as the lifestyle of typical Hispanic families. In Latino or Chicano culture, we find that gender as well as religion plays a huge role in the lives of many individuals, causing them to shape a stereotypical kind of culture. Catholicism is one of the major forms of religion in Hispanic and Latin countries due to the influence from the Europeans. This made many of the Latin American Countries adopt this religious practice regardless of their belief. To this day, many practice Catholicism as a way to appeal to cultural norms. We see the importance of religion to the girl’s family, especially her father. Throughout the story we see the girl’s search for her own religious relationship through her abuela instead of the one forced upon her by her parents. The other influence that culture has is on gender roles within the family dynamic. Throughout the story we see the girl made fun of for her hands and for being different. This is because in latin culture girls are supposed to be dainty and gentle. They were not meant to be violent or rash, like the young teenage girl was. The gender roles constructed by culture were what her father tried to assign her into, and her mother enforcing them,
This essay will critically analyze the various forms of oppression that are set out through Audrey Lorde’s concept of the “mythical norm” as discussed by Barbara Perry. Through the “mythical norm”, it can be seen that oppressions exists through the forms of racism and sexism which are exhibited through many scholarly texts and articles. Racism can be seen as a means of privilege and power that is given to individuals who coincide with the criteria of societies norm. In this case, these individuals consist of white, heterosexual, male beings who unknowingly oppress their racialized counterparts. Oppression can also be seen through the form of sexism. Sexism looks at the injustice and inequality of male dominance over female, which results to men being more privileged and advantaged in society over women who are disadvantaged. Therefore, privilege and power is obtained by those who coincide with the concept of the “mythical norm”, leaving minority groups who do not coincide with this conception oppressed through the forms of racism and sexism.
In the monograph, Ain’t I A Woman: Black Women and Feminism, the author describes the complexity of black womanhood from a black women’s perspectives. This book shows the impact of sexism on the lives of black women, discussing the persistent racism of the women’s movement. Even with the many present issues, “scholars in this field are in a unique position because of their ability to explore the intersection of race, sex, and class as experienced by black women in ways that are impossible for other segments of the population” (Sheftall
This is an issue that has always existed, but not until many Christians and Christian organizations began to get involved and spread more awareness did it really seem to develop. It is the church’s job to help spread awareness about human sex trafficking in the United States and to help these victims that are trapped in the industry. Some people might not want to get involved, but it is a duty as the Body of Christ to step up. Proverbs 31:8-9 says, “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.” These victims cannot speak for themselves, because if they try to escape they are beaten, raped and tortured. It is up to the church to stand up for them and spread awareness to
The rest of this essay will look at Black Woman, aiming to explore how performativity has impacted their identities and how society views them. As woman account for half of the human race, they also account for half of black history; if one looks at this history they are able to see a culture of beauty, shame, performativity and objectification. But what exactly is the link between Beauty and the Black female identity? Looking back through history, one can see that ever since the era of colonialism, black woman’s bodies have been sexualized within the historical narrative of both the United States and the UK; the sexual ‘debasement’ of black bodies and black women can be seen to have been maintained through socialisation, social stereotypes and even laws (Holmes, 2016). The bodies of black women have been managed and controlled throughout history, particularly in the context of the United States, this can be seen from the times of the slave trade to the modern era.
This article by Cheryl Butler applies Critical Race Feminism to the issues of prostitution and sex trafficking in the United States. In doing so, Butler explores the debate on prostitution and sex trafficking through an intersectional lens, and thus acknowledges the role that race and class play in prostitution in America. She fully considers prostitution from a critical race perspective, i.e., one that considers how race and gender intersect with other systems of oppression together to marginalize people of color in America. She proposes policy changes that may help address prostitution from a position of intersectionality.
The surveillance of women has been a consistent form of oppression in countless societies, spanning location, time, and belief system. Not every society shows evidence of the oppression of women; however, proof of the regulation of the female body is overabundant from both past and present societies. Such regulation is often an attempt to maintain the sole power of the male body and an attempt at maintaining the purity of the female body, and through the female, the purity of the children and the rest of the descendants. Silverblatt’s Modern Inquisitions states that, “Spanish gender norms decried women’s participation in Andean public life and denounced their fatal attraction to Satan and heresy.” (2004 p. 193) By doing so, the Spanish destroyed the previous elements of equality found between males and females in the Andean culture. Silverblatt later continues by saying, “The gendered institutions of Spanish colonialism systematically eroded the life possibilities of most Andean women.” (2004 p. 203) Throughout history and into modernity, the oppression of women focuses on the difference between the female and male body and asserts that the male body is inherently better than the female body.
Patriarchy’s Scapegoat: Black womanhood and femininity – A critique of racism, gender inequality, anti-blackness, and historical exploitation of black women.
Examining the links between sexuality and power in a system of interlocking race, gender, and class oppression should reveal how important controlling Black women's sexuality has been to the effective operation of domination overall. The words of Angela Davis, Audre Lorde, Barbara Smith, and Alice Walker provide a promising foundation for a comprehensive Black feminist analysis.
Dating all the way back to the late 1700s, women of color, have had to deal with the constant objectification and othering of their bodies. The hypersexualization of Black Women, has its roots in slavery, and has become a social stigma that is both systemic and institutionalized. It is something that is present both external from the black community as well as within the black community. Not only does this stereotype have a negative impact on the way in which black girls and women navigate and exist in society, it also restricts their voice. Typically, the sexualization of women has been focused from solely a gendered standpoint, which fails to understand the complexities associated with the inclusion of factors such as race, socio-economic status, as well as sexual orientation.
There are a variety of reasons for the greater subjugation of black men over black women in Southern society which can be initially examined in order to understand the unique position which black women held. But one of the most evident and powerful, which lead to and was used in justifying a large majority of the efforts made against the advancement of black men, was that of a fear of miscegenation or racial mixing. An idea which had long since been held as one of the greatest fears of and threats to the status of the white race as superior. As a means to stopping this dire threat, the sexuality of the black male was conflated and propagandized far and wide to be an unstoppable force; and the black men embodying it to be so incoherently lustful and animalistic in their desire for white females that they would take any one at any time regardless of the situation.
Throughout America’s history there have been many struggles with equality amongst the many racial identities that live in this “melting pot.” Acceptance of the many races is a continuous goal in the war on racism in America. Once accepted, many racial identities go under huge scrutiny by the media, society, and their other racial counterparts, etc. Black Sexual Politics by Patricia Hill Collins is a critical analysis of blacks in America and blacks as a race. The book analyzes this race on various levels, and these levels include, but are not limited to the following: the concept of “new” racism, gender ideology within the race, and the potential for progression of
Although the text, Women: Images and Realities a Multicultural Anthology, has done a wonderful job of showcasing the diversity of women’s experiences, I find Beverly Daniel Tatum’s work “Defining Racism: “Can We Talk?”” to be the most striking. In the essay, Tatum describes how she (and many other feminists) define racism and who can and cannot be racist. Tatum argues that there are important distinctions between prejudice and racism, wherein racism is defined as a ‘system of advantage based on race” or more precisely “prejudice plus power” (388). Through multiple examples Tatum illustrates that if one accepts and uses her definition of racism then only White people (the group of people who ‘dominate’ society) are racist because “people of