Black Feminism

sinisteramoor Feminism Feminism in ecu workforceicalis a collection of movements and ideologies aimed at defining, establishing, and defendingequal policy-making, economic, and social rights for women. caustic Feminism is a strand of libber thought, which highlights the populaceifold disadvantages of gender, class and quicken that shape the extend tos of non smock women. dark-skinned feminist organizations emerged during the 1970s and they had to face manifold difficulties from twain the white feminist and obscure Nationalist political organizations they were confronting with.Black feminists had rejected the motif of a single unified gender oppression that faced as by only women, and argued that early feminist analysis reflected the specific concerns of white, conservative women. One of the theories that evolved out of the Black feminist movement was Alice Walkers Womanism. Alice Walker and opposite fair sexists pointed out that black womanhood run intod a diffe rent and more than intense kind of oppression from that of white women. They point out the issue black feminist movement after earlier movements led by white middle-class women which they regard as having largely ignored oppression found on scat and class.Patricia Hill Collins defined Black feminism, in Black feminist Thought (1991), as including women who theorize the experiences and ideas shared by ordinary black women that provide a unique angle of hallucination on self, community, and society. Different critics gave their opinion regarding Black Feminism , round of them tried to justify their stand as the Black Feminists, some expatiate the purposes of this movement, some discussed the themes that work in this theory. They stated such asWomen of glossiness have never been placed on a pedestal and saved the way white women are, and although women of color are thought of as a severe people, the stomps used to oppress them, black matriarch, bitch and lazuline, contradic t that nonion (Hudson-Weems 211-213). In establishing why Black Feminism is relevant, it essential be established that women of color have been thrice victimized by racism, sexism and economic exploitation. These three oppressive forces affect women of color simultaneously and equally relentlessly (Gordon 166).Black Feminism is the ack outrightledgement that women of color have been oppressed by sexism and racism, that there was a failure to recognize and address these issues in the Feminist Movement and the Black Liberation Movement, and that women of color have their own order of business that neither movement can piddle on. Black Feminism focuses on the experiences needs and relishs of women of color (Aldridge 193). The goal of Black Feminism is to create a criterion by which women of color can assess their realities, both in thought and in action (Hudson-Weems 210).Although it is contested that all struggles are the similar, placing all women under feminism is the epitome of racist arrogance and domination, suggesting that white womens experience is the standard and authority above any other experience (Hudson-Weems 209). fundamentally three characteristic themes are found in Black Feminist thought Black womens self- explanation and self-valuation The interlocking nature of oppression and The wideness of Afro-American womens culture.We find the themes of Black Feminism analogous repression of women, self actualization, self-definition, self-valuation, political suppression and kind of racial, class and gender biases towards the women of Black race, in the stories of Lice, disguise and Independence Day. Lice is really a accredited il proclivityration of red ink of women because of their gender, kind of gender oppression and the stereo ordinary view of women in Black community that women are only to invite get married, have sex, and to devote their total career for the family. There is a woman in the story, named Sissie a voiceless creatur e, as stereotypical view of Black Feminism is.In the Black community it is considered that if you are a woman you just have to work out real roles other than that you have no personal identity of your own, as in the story the condition of sissie in Black community truly explained this stereotype an ordinary wife with a normal marriage, ignored, double- durationd, a harassed bring, a low paid teacher in a rotten wiz-third world education system. Black women have no personal identity without the male entity, as the words of sisses mother when sissie is deprivation to married Now our daughter has be act a proper lady. ith marriage comes a lot of responsibilities and she is left with no self-identity and have to do like a Lady and then her mother thinks like a typical mother that she must stop calling her daughter baby presently because she was a grand old lady of five years. In her autobiography Anne Moody, brings the idea of black feminism into account, stating, We were told in the same breath to be quiet both for the sake of being ladylike and take us less objectionable in the eyes of white people. She is disadvantaged of her wants and needs precisely in this situation as well her mother advises her to remember counting her blessings.She is having a husband who is legally and fully married to her but most of the time she also k right offs without looking that her husband was not occupying his side of the bed. She has no right to ask her husband because she is suppose to handle the households, not to look into the doings of her husband. As it is against the norms of patriarchal society, in which she is living. The depravity of the Black women also proves in the fact that their marriages are drug-addicted on their pregnancies Their marriages depended on it. Their feminity. Their humanity. Third phase which depicts the darker aspect of black feminism is that of sexual oppression. Women are sexually harassed by male, as in the story Sissie is represe ntative of the working women community, that how her Boss demanded sexual favor as a substitute for her promotion. Another blessing is mentioned that it is Saturday, which means no condition but this Saturday means nothing for her as she has lots to do at home on the free day, because there is no concept of fill-in for a woman even on the holiday. There is a railcar in her house which is her husbands.She has no right regarding the car in spite of having investment in the car. Here again comes one of the study themes of Black Feminist thought that is of self valuation that a woman has no self possession. The very title of the story Lice is symbolic in the sense that apparently lice are in her daughters fuzz but symbolically these are the parasites that Black women have in their life in the form of biases, gender subjugation and typical concept nigh women as small creatures. The Veil refers to the theme of realization, self actualization in the Black feminism theory.It is the rea lization of woman after the real experience of having sex. The story is based on relationships and is being told by a woman that how a woman presuppose around having sex as an enjoyable activity but later on she realizes the truth that this enjoyment doesnt last for long and at the end there remains nothing. Basically this story embodies the objectification of women and glorification of sex but sudden realization of the true fact, which is an important concept in Black Feminism that women of Black race starting realizing or identifying the things.As His eyes are the only part of his soundbox with which I have real tactual sensation. They dispel strangeness and ugliness and make my relationship with him real in the midst of numerous unreal ones it is because in the beginning they used to spend time talking and sharing their interests and wants and this talk was carried out through eye contact as well as it was a sort of meeting of minds, and gratifying but this relationship now lacks communication thats what makes them feel strangers to each other and a come up of questions arise in her mind that whether it was the bodys desire for contact with another body? And this idea gives vent to a violent desire to find out how the meeting of my body with his could be like. This lust for the fulfillment of bodily desires draws me into loveless contacts simply in order to touch that curiosity and she experiences a kind of opposition between their bodies except in one situation that of love. Then she thinks close to the cause behind this repulsion and comes to know that man worships his masculinity, so woman repulses him and the only way to get rid of this repulsion is the victory of love everywhere the male deity but she has no idea what it is and once again she is encountered by certain thoughts such as Is the relationship between us love? and s love simply a fairy tale, but suddenly a bitter realization stuck in her mind that All the fairy tales come to an end and the veil fell from each of them. and each time a veil fell, she cries for the beautiful illusion which was lost. Then there comes a time when they both are having sex she notices that his body reveals strength, youthfulness, cleanliness and good eating but later on when he is dressed and getting ready to resign his face looks tired, as though hes suddenly bighearted old and weary. She experiences mixed feelings of joy mingle with strange feelings of sadness as the man has left her alone once again.When the effect of wine has kaput(p) and the veil has lifted from my eyes, she looks into the mirror as I am about to walk away from the mirror, like every other time, to step on the fallen veil at my feet and stamp on it with new-made found strength. But this time I do not transmit my place. I bend down, pick up the veil from the ground and supercede it once again on my face. The story is all about the feelings of a woman that how she feels when the fantasy world or the g lorified picture show of having sexual pleasure turned into the reality. A veil of illusion is now dropped away from her eyes.But at the end of the day, she has to put up that veil over her face and pretend to be like as usual, because she is anticipated to behave like this. The story Independence Day written by Yvonne Vera is a representation of political suppression of women of Black Color. This story refers to the variations in definition of independence according to men and women. In the story there is a man who is watching Independence celebrations on television and he decides that he was going to celebrate Independence properly with cold beer and a woman. On the other hand, the celebrations are going on the Prince and the new Prime government minister walked to the large flag pole in the middle of the stadium. it is midnight and on one hand it is the magic time of change whereas on the other side, the man is busy having sex with that prostitute. The whole country got indepe ndence but what about the woman who is still the slave of others and has to live her life the way she is told to. Although they were going to enter in a new era but it makes no difference for the women because there are specific boundaries settled by men for her, which is not allowed by the society to cross anyway.In short, we see that the black feminist movement had to contend with civil rights movements that wanted women in a lesser role. Menbelieved the black women would organize around their own needs and understate their own efforts, losing reliable allies in the struggle for civil rights. The black feminist movement not only had to compete with racial preconceived opinion but also the structure of our patriarchal society, making their struggle much harder.