Black Feminism for Liberation Movement - myassignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about theBlack Feminism for Liberation Movement. Answer: Insight into black feminism Black feminism projects the interconnectedness of philosophies like sexism, racism, oppression and gender identity. The concept Black feminism first appeared in the creations of Crenshaw, where he enhances the clarity of the readers regarding the independent existence of black and the tragedy of being a women. Intolerable racial oppressions encountered by the members of the Black community resulted in the birth to feminism (Evans, 2015). According to the researchers, Black Liberation Movement was one of the other reasons for the formation of Black Feminism. Countering this, liberation means freedom. Protests and revolts in this direction signify fighting for the needs of the black women, struggling to find meaning to their existence. Black women in black liberation movement The color black represented the dark tragedy in the lives of the black community women. Continuous sexual and racial oppression from powerful patriarchy compelled them to undergo identity crisis. The category black included the black men and white women. The inclusion of men within these movements distorts the stereotypical notion regarding men dominating women (Digby, 2013). Attachment of racial concept in this direction upholds the tragic fate of the tribes of Black community. Incapability to counter these harsh blows aggravated their complexities. As a matter of specification, the black women were at a loss, which necessitated the formation of Black Feminist Movement. At the initial stages, the movement faced hard-core opposition from the patriarchy; however, the formation of National Black Feminist Organization in New York assured the masterminds of the movement about making noticeable progress. Under the leadership and guidance of National Black Feminist Organization, several sub-movements were formed- Civil Rights Movement, Black Nationalism, The Black Panthers, Student Nonviolent Coordinating committee and others (Meyers, 2014). All these movements possessed enough flexibility to provide freedom to the black race from their tragic fate. Here, black signified the black men, which needed to be protected for securing manhood within the threshold of United States. This consideration can be considered as an affirmation to masculinity, negating the aspect of liberating women from their black fates. Discussion on men is a deviation from the aspect of feminism, placing women out of the feminist movement. Achievement of success in the form of restoring the lost rights made the black men powerful, which can be reflected from the utterance of sexist and racial comments in order to demotivate the women in terms of fighting for their rights (Patterson, Howard Kinloch, 2016). Acceptance of these comments without criticism seemed a mature step of the feminists in terms of studying the scenario, prior to the initiation of the actions. Through these concepts, Amiri Baraka and Eldridge Cleaver shed light on the fact that racial discrimations between men and women are self-made. Countering this, these discriminations are an affirmation to the stereotypical notions injected within the minds of the people by the hard-core followers of religion and fail to accept the changes in the civilization. Embracing a value system does not change our traditional origin; it just reflects the mentality to blind acceptance of what the others do (Love, 2016). Discriminations and oppressions of women is one of the components, which the people perform under the company of certain people, hungry for the fulfillment of their needs. Society has never accepted the equality between men and women and therefore, the result is the formation of patriarchy for dominating and suppressing the women. Bakara correctly projects the outcome of this suppression, We could never be equal. Nature has not provided thus. Countering this, the movements like civil rights sheds off the aspect of women could not be equal to men in terms of power. Bakara also shuns the presence of reciprocation in the relationship between men and women. In most of the cases, it is seen that the women submit themselves (Chambers Worrall, 2017). This submission is mostly against the wishes of the women, which affirms the identity of th e men as rapist, as intrusion into femininity against her wishes is considered as rape. Cleaver on the other hand expresses dual attitude to these perceptions of Bakara. On one hand, he sympathizes with women for getting such a societal position. On the other hand, it sticks to his standpoint regarding the importance of both sexism and racism in suppression of women. Typical evidence of this lies in the provision of less power to the black girls in terms of the white ones. Cleaver can be applauded for mentioning the strict laws, which function for providing justice to the women. Instances of discriminations and harassments diminish the individuality of black women; however, the strict actions undertaken by the statutory bodies of law are flexible enough to liberate women in terms of restoring their lost honor and justice (Alexander, 2017). Misogynist writings about Black Liberation Movement upholded the tragic instances, which women faced in their daily life. One such instance is the meeting of Black congress, where Elaine Brown and her team members were compelled to wait for lunch until the men have been served well. One of the striking facts in this instance is the utilization of funds by Black Women community for serving the men. This incident reflects suppressing the initiatives of the black women in terms of establishing their independence. Explanation of the rules to Elaine and her friends is the live example, which enhanced their clarity regarding their position behind men and respecting men (Norwood, 2013). Calling men brother signifies the mentality of the black women to perceive men as their companions in the journey towards the establishment of individuality. Rejecting the offer of companionship made the black women sterner in their standpoint. Typical evidence is the denial of Elaine to leave the discussion of Regional Black student and go to the kitchen for helping in the preparation of foods. Side parting with men reflects the betrayals of some black women towards their sisters in terms of sharing a common goal- to fight back the lost honor and respect. These women encouraged sexism and racism, which divided the women into two groups- one, fighting for their rights and other one, submitting to mens wishes (Boylorn, 2013). This division created fissures within the goals of the feminist movements in terms of reciprocating to the orthodox visions of patriarchy. Black women in feminist movement Being a victim of racism compelled the black women to join Feminist Movement. However, the initial phases included rejection from participating in the conferences dealing with subjects other than the ailments and sufferings of the black or the third world women. There was a dearth of equal treatment of women in the Faculty of Women Studies Departments, who could make the black women aware of the actual history revolving around their predicament. One of the positive facts here is the representation of the sufferings and ailments as women experiences, which generalized the predicament of women as a whole (Lemieux, 2014). The creations by the black women were accepted as token, without any challenges or critical views. However considering these creations as black experiences is a kind of looking down on the efforts of the black women to voice out their opinions regarding their sufferings. The white women were unwilling to accept the dominations from the white men. Delving deep into the aspect, those who were oppressed from beforehand were unable to oppress others. However, being a part of this oppression, the women, irrespective of the tag, black or white, have learnt the basic dynamism of the movements. This acquaintance has enabled them to act according to the ideologies and establish their identities as the oppressors (Cohen Jackson, 2016). The story was not so simple. The women, in the process of altering their fates, faced severe oppression, which nullifies their attempts and resulted in the confession that these movements posed as an obstacle in the re-establishment of their individuality. The era of 1963 was a turning point in the life of women. This is when white women got employed as private household workers. This employment brings them out of the confinement from the four walls of the home. Treating the women as slaves compelled the women to treat the men as their enemy, nullifying the concept of brotherhood. Being anti-racist on one hand and not acknowledging the ability to oppress the other colored women applauds some white feminists in supporting their sisters in terms of fighting for their individuality (Mowatt, French Malebranche, 2013). Adrienne Rich is an example in this context, who has added to the power of the patriarchy by attaching a different perspective to it. Bell Hooks nullify the concept of strong anti-racist female tradition in terms of lack of evidence regarding the collective attempt of female advocates to preserve the rights of women. Movements were thus an agent to abolish malice like slavery and racism from the fates of women and ensure their societal upliftment. Music in civil rights movement Afro-American spirits, gospels and music were an important component of civil rights movement. This movement witnessed the conglomeration of singers and music composers for creating songs for increasing the enthusiasm of the people involved in movements, protests and marches (Cooper, 2016). Sometimes, songs were also created for adding momentum to the environment, making the wait for outcomes a thrilling one. Women, feminism and music The field of music can be considered as one of the other avenues selected by the women to express their individuality. A living example in this direction is the achievement of Grammy Award by rapper and actress Queen Latifah for UNITY in 1995. The song projects the domestic violence, which the women faced. Viewing it from the other perspective, objectification of female sexuality, through the song, is an affirmation of the patriarchal views regarding women. The song UNITY ignited a spark of revolt in the Afro-American community especially in terms of the violence, which the women had to face. Indulging in music is the plea of the black women, searching for liberation (Saucier Woods, 2015). Here, music specifically relates to rappers, where women had dominance far more than men. Advent of hip-hop in 1970s popularized this mass appeal by black women in search of an escape from this black tragedy. Typical forms of these appeals were graffiti art, break dancing and rapping, which upholded the attempts of the black women in terms of preserving their culture. However, as rap gained prominence in the music industry, initiatives of women were looked down upon. The major drive behind the success of rap was obsessiveness with wealth, glamour and the original projection of the women in their roots (Lindsay, 2015). In other words, rap formed an important component for bringing a new wave in the Black feminism movement. Viewing it from other perspective, rap strengthened the vision of the Afro-American women in terms of preserving the culture. Mention can be made of Beyonce, whose Lemonade redefined authority from the perspective of black women. The musical movie makes usage of the utopian imagery provides an escape to the black women from their tragic ailments and sufferings. This escape is like a fairytale, ending in happiness in the form of entrusting the women with the responsibility to women to re-shape their lives (Cooper, 2016). Movies directed by black women, especially Malcolm X, carry the legacy of womens liberation to the extent of their awakening to their individuality. The major drive behind acting on different roles was ultimately to get acquainted to the true self. Projecting black women in the lead role sheds off the tag black and enhances her identity. Beyonce along with their contemporaries like Kasi Lemmons, Winnie Harlow Shares have established a firm standpoint regarding uprooting the reign of patriarchy by creating mass appeals through their artistic creations. Therefore, it can be said that the movements were flexible enough to inspire the black women to fight for the restoration of their rights (Mowatt, French Malebranche, 2013). Although there were failures in the initial stages, determination, persistence and commitment of these women assisted in enhancement of their individuality, which added value and meaning to their existence. References Alexander-Floyd, N. G. (2017). 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