In African American History, it is
important to discuss the different ways in which people of color have faced
discrimination based on aspects other than skin color such as class, gender,
and religion. In a patriarchal society rooted in white supremacy, and male
dominance, any one who does not fit these standards is perceived to be inferior.
The discrimination faced by those perceived as inferior is amplified when a
person falls outside of the norm in more than one aspect.
Discussing one aspect of history
without at least acknowledging other factors gives an incomplete portrayal of
the truth. Most people do not face
discrimination in the same way. A cisgendered white abled body heterosexual
woman may face some form of sexism in her daily life, but the sexism she faces
will be radically different then that faced by an transgender black woman. “Intersectionality is
a concept often used in critical theories to describe the ways in which
oppressive institutions (racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism,
xenophobia, classism, etc.) are interconnected and cannot be examined
separately from one another.”[1]
When discussing intersectionality,
the conversation often revolves around gender, race and sexuality. Men and
women of all races have been treated differently throughout history. Men were
perceived as the strong, dominant, intelligent gender, while women were
characterized as weak, submissive and inferior. Two of the first things one
sees when they first meet another person are race and gender.
In Trouble in Mind the justification most often given for lynching was
the need to “protect our southern women”
(Litwack 281). Black men were seen as violent predators who raped white women.
White men used this as an excuse to violently attack and kill black men. White
men raped black women and it was seen by society as socially acceptable. The
way people have been treated is not solely based on their gender or their race,
but rather a combination of the two along with any other factors that contribute
to their identity.
Humanity is highly complex and to
refuse to discuss the intersecting aspects of a persons identity is the similar
to seeing a book with a blue cover and declaring that all blue books are the
same. Im not saying not to look at the cover. What I’m saying is that people
need to open the book, and read closely. Have an open discussion and figure out
other perspectives. Don’t judge a book by its cover, but don't ignore it
either.
I think you bring up a good point. It is very necessary to acknowledge that black women suffer the double bias that comes with being both black and a woman. When we were reading Down to the Crossroads we got a glimpse into structure of the Civil Rights movement along with those on the frontline, all of whom were black and (some white) cisgendered males. Women were discouraged from marching and participating in the movement, so the plight of black womanhood was pushed to the background. This also relates to today as black women and proponents of the continued establishment of black humanity have purposefully created space to explore the realities of black womanhood while taking part in the holistic effort towards revolution, such as Beyoncé with Lemonade.
ReplyDeleteThis is a very valid point that you raise. Women of color are often disenfranchised to an even greater degree than men of color. It isn't something that is often discuss that even within the civil rights movement women were often marginalized. Fannie Lou Hamer, Diane Nash and Ella Baker are a few of the women within the movement who were able to create space for themselves within a male dominated movement. I remember in high school my social movements teacher had us read the 1963 march on Washington program so we would see that all the women were either singing or silent, none of them had speaking roles. The marginalization of women within the movement was very much real.
ReplyDeleteI think intersectionality is the breakdown of the gray area in our society. By using the phrase "gray area", I mean everything outside of the black and white (no not the racial distinctions, but the clear-cut, categories we rely upon) areas of our society. We're used to addressing races, genders, sexuality, and other categories as a collective whole (thus spawning a plethora of stereotypes), and ignoring individuals within those categories. When presented with complex scenarios, such as a black woman, we merely slap a stereotype on it and throw it into that gray area.
ReplyDeleteFor example, the stereotype of the "angry black woman" is a lot more complex than a double bias. It is a unique form of opppression in itself. In this example, this person is not being oppressed as a black person then as a woman, they are uniquely oppressed as a black woman. The same applies to any person who has several adjectives in front of their preferred title.
A bisexual, biracial man does not face several forms of oppression. He faces only one form of it unique to him, being that he is oppressed for being a bisexual in addition to being biracial.
Our society ignores complexities like these when it comes to intersectionality, and we see this time and time again when looking at oppression as a whole.