Article summary

The article 'Black women's studies: The interface of women's studies and black studies' by Beverly Guy-Sheftal is a call to action that advocates for more recognition of the challenges that African American women have had to overcome.  It also seeks recognition for African American women who have had a significant impact in the fight for equal rights for African American women and everyone in society in general.  The article is part of the various discussions and research that was conducted after influencers, writers and other members of the community discovered that platforms meant to advocate for the rights of African Americans and women in general failed to address the needs of African American women in specific.  The article has relevance in that it addresses the topic of discrimination on the basis of race which is a major issue in society.  Unlike other research that mostly focuses on fighting for equality for all people regardless of race or gender,  the article narrows down its arguments to focus on African American women after the discovery that women of color are often left out in discussions and publications that fight for the rights of African Americans and women. 

The author gives a thorough description on the plight that African American women have faced over the years and what led to the need for studies that focus specifically on addressing the needs of African American women.  The step by step breakdown of how events transpired in the past to give rise to black women's studies is done thoroughly, detailing relevant events and influential people that have had the most impact on black women's studies.  In addition, ideas are presented in a manner that creates flow and is easy to understand thus allowing the target audience to follow the breakdown of ideas and understand what the author seeks to accomplish thought the article. 

 

Question: can women studies be considered a tool for alienating African American women as it treats them as different from other women from different races?

 

  

The article ' Invincible southern black women leaders in the civil rights movement: The triple constraint of gender race and class' by Bernice McNair Barnett discusses the various obstacles that prevented African American women from being recognized for the role they played in the fight to end discrimination against African Americans.  According to the author, African Americans not only had to overcome racial discrimination but also discrimination on the basis of gender and race.  Women were often considered as passive participants in the fight to end discrimination on the basis of race especially because men were considered as superior to women.  In addition, most of the focus on the need to end racial discrimination was founded on the need to abolish slavery and most of the attention was given to African American men rather than all people of color regardless of gender. 

The author gives a thorough description on how gender and class prevented African American women from getting recognition for their contributions in the civil rights movement.  Despite engaging in activities such as organizing protests, mobilizing people and gathering support for the civil rights movement, African American women did not get credit for their input compared to their male counterparts and white women.  This, according to the author, was due to the fact that women were considered irrelevant or inferior to men and their contribution was watered down because their gender was not associated with anything positive.  The author also argues that white women activists got more recognition as African American women belonged to a lower class in society compared to whites.  By discussing the impact that discrimination on the basis on gender, race and class had on African American women, the author successfully explains why women of color failed to get the recognition they deserved for their contributions.

 

Question: With the success of attempts to bring equality, are women likely to be recognized for their efforts in the civil rights movement or will their contributions be forgotten?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The article 'Keeping black women at the center: A conversation between Gloria T Hull and Barbara Smith suggests that a lot of African American history has been left out and may even be forgotten due to the tendency to leave out contributions from women.  The discussion between the two women is a discussion on their book where they point out how issues such as racism and gender inequality limit the amount of research in African American history especially in regards to female contribution.  Despite the huge impact that African American women had in the fight for equality, most of the research that exists focuses on the contribution from African American men while women rarely get recognition. 

The dialogue between the two authors helps to create real life examples of he challenges that researchers and writers face when discussing the topic on black women studies. Despite having gone to different schools, both authors lacked enough information to assist them in writing their book despite racism and gender inequality being addressed by different researchers throughout history.  A good example is the lack of information on African American women contribution to end racial discrimination that both writers lacked while in school. The article has relevance in that it tries to do away with issues such as racism and gender discrimination which are still relevant issues in today's society.  Their experiences and ideas on the impact that racism and gender discrimination presents a good case on why there should be more literature on African American women and their contributions in the fight for equality.

Question: What impact would including more literature on African American women contributions in the fight for equality have in doing away with issues related to gender equality and racism?