Who Is The African - American Women ? What Value Does She

In a time period when women were considered inferior, as were blacks, it was unimaginable the horrors a black woman in the south had to endure during this period. African women were slaves and subject to the many horrors that come along with being in bondage, but because they were also women, they were subject to the cruelties of men who look down on women as inferior simply because of their sex. The sexual exploitation of these females often lead to the women fathering children of their white masters. Black women were also prohibited from defending themselves against any type of abuse, including sexual, at the hands of white men. If a slave attempted to defend herself she was often subjected to further beatings from the master. The black female was forced into sexual relationships for the slave master’s pleasure and profit. By doing this it was the slave owner ways of helping his slave population grow.

Black Woman Studies is an interdisciplinary field of study, that examines gender as a social and cultural construct, the social status and contributions of women, and the relationships between power and gender. Women are held to this standard of being the one to cook, clean, cater to her spouse and care for the children but it should be more than that. When women go above their expectations, they are accused as being wrong and are sometimes told to not pursue their dreams. Women should be held on the same scale as men in society, this method could prevent gender issues.

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 women have been major actors in social activism since their arrival in the Americas. They have used various strategies like writing articles and books, organizing demonstrations and more to create cultural change. Using the pressure of racism and sexism, African American women created a space for a unique form of leadership that encapsulated both cultural and political, more formally know as bridge leadership.

The month of February is dedicated to black history month and in this short essay I will be speaking about the first African-American women to ever join the United States Navy. These women went by the names of Frances Willis and Harriet Ida Pickens. These women who joined the Navy were inducted by a program that was created in the mid 40s called, “WAVES,” The program stood for, (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service). The program was created for women to become nurses during World War II and the women served as nurses until the war ceased.

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

Primary claim: African American has been an active agent in early American history since the first African slave arrived in America in 1619, Africans has left many carbon footprints in America’s history to remember their suffering, their spirit in fighting, their culture; the Africans were major players in all aspect of social system and economically.

For a very long time in the U.S. society, women of color have suffered too much oppression and discrimination from in many forms including on racial, class, and gender grounds. They have been subordinated, experience restricted participation in existing social institutions, and structurally placed in roles that have limited opportunities. Their congregation includes African Americans, the Asian Americans, the Latinas and others. There case has been made even worse by the fact that being a weaker sex that is subject to oppression from their male colored partners, they are also of color and therefore placing them at the extreme end of oppression. These aspects are more evident in the workplaces, school settings, prisons, families, and others

America is often viewed as a symbol of progress. This progressive understanding is recognized through the passing of legislation that granted rights to different individuals. While historians often present America as a progressive nation, what they fail to recognize is the lack of representation for Black women. Whether it’s through legislation, or simply archives of Black women’s experiences, Black women are constantly being left out and are often invisible. Although black women were granted citizenships and rights through these amendments, they are not able to access them due to societal barriers.

Women history is something that has had a vast amount of changes throughout the decades. Feminist have fought hard for women equal rights. As a collective we know that women aren’t valued as much as men, but it goes deeper than the idea of gender roles. It’s affected by the race of a women as well. In this case the African American women voice. These women weren’t only affected by equal rights for women but equal rights for blacks as well, so it was harder for them to speak out to get their voices heard. Most black women were silenced by society historically. One example of a black women voice being heard was Rosa Parks when she refused to give up her seat to a white passenger. Rosa Parks didn’t conform to social norms of sitting in the back

In history, women have always struggled to gain equality, respect, and the same rights as men. Women had had to endure years of sexism and struggle to get to where we are today. The struggle was even more difficult for women of color because not only were they dealing with issues of sexism, but also racism. Many movements have helped black women during the past centuries to overcome sexism, racism, and adversities that were set against them. History tells us that movements such as the Feminist Movement helped empower all women, but this fact is not totally true. In this paper, I will discuss feminism, the movements, and its "minimal" affects on black women.

Slavery was a gruesome experience for all people of the African descent. However, the instances that occurred in a slave’s life differentiated between men and women.

In an attempt to define Black Feminism, Collins clarifies that it must “avoid the idealist position that ideas can be evaluated in isolation from the groups that create them (Collins 385).” In reality, this forms her basis for why Black Feminism is necessary, and who it serves. Thinking about feminism historically, the concerns of black women were pushed aside in favor of fighting sexism, most notably during the Suffrage movement. And even when feminism began looking at other social injustices, such as racism and class issues, only prominent feminists were invited to the discussion. What resulted was, and often continues to be, a problem of white women speaking for oppressed people. It’s impossible, Collins argues, to have Black Feminist thought without examining the experiences and positions of African American women. Therefore, Black Feminism must be a movement that “encompasses theoretical interpretations of Black women’s reality by those who live in it (Collins 386).” However, such a definition brings about many questions: who’s experiences are valued, how do black women take their voice back, and how can they center feminist thinking on their own unique standpoint?

This tainted image also harmed women of color because of how society treated black people. “For African American women, the forced sexual victimization of African female slaves led to the promulgation of many distorted stereotypes, created by White society in an attempt to reconcile the contradiction of this maltreatment and the espoused values of a Christian democracy”. (Greene, 241)

According, to Marci Littlefield’s “historically, the media perpetuates ideas about race and ethnicity that places African American women at a clear disadvantage” (Littlefield675). These ideas range from sexual notions and other “oppressive manners [that] date back to slavery”). America has had a vast craving of exploring the unknown and trying to learn and interpret different cultures. Although the concept of race is constantly changing and currently is viewed as a state that does not have any biological meaning, it is constantly a crucial part in African American women’s lives,