Black Women’s Studies plays an important role in the discipline of Africana Studies. Black women studies is the history, cultures and experiences of black women. The important subjects of black women studies are, gender,race, and class. These studies look at the social context to understand racism and sexism. Black women who are not always represented as intellectuals have been able to rearticulate the knowledge of everyday Black women as Black intellectuals. A large number of scholars from the working class and poor Black areas entered schools during the period of social upheaval in the 60s and 70s. Spaces opened up in graduate schools through struggle, and traditionally white departments in the social sciences and the humanities expanded …show more content…
Black women studies is the history, cultures and experiences of black women. The important subjects of black women studies are, gender,race, and class. These studies look at the social context to understand racism and sexism. Black women who are not always represented as intellectuals have been able to rearticulate the knowledge of everyday Black women as Black intellectuals. A large number of scholars from the working class and poor Black areas entered schools during the period of social upheaval in the 60s and 70s. Spaces opened up in graduate schools through struggle, and traditionally white departments in the social sciences and the humanities expanded admissions. Thus, African-descent women entered white universities in relatively greater numbers during this period and they are still currently entering now. Introducing Black women studies into universities would be centered around power and inequality. If we was to introduce Black studies in universities, then the white women would want White women studies in schools. In the Politics of Black Women’s Studies by Gloria Hull, and Barbara Smith , they said “ the horrors we have faced historically and have continued to face as Black women in a white male dominated society have implications of every aspect of our lives, including what white men have termed “the life of the mind.” That our oppression as Black women can take forms specifically aimed at discrediting our intellectual power is best illustrated through the words of a “classic” American writer.” This statement is true, because in order for us to get jobs and get into certain schools, most of the times we have to go through the white man in order for him to determine whether he should give it to us or not. In conclusion Black women studies critically informs the discipline of Africana Studies, because without Black women we wouldn't have Africana Studies at
Glenda Gilmore’s book Gender & Jim Crow shows a different point of view from a majority of history of the south and proves many convictions that are not often stated. Her stance from the African American point of view shows how harsh relations were at this time, as well as how hard they tried for equity in society. Gilmore’s portrayal of the Progressive Era is very straightforward and precise, by placing educated African American women at the center of Southern political history, instead of merely in the background.
As both Tracey Reynolds and Audre Lorde have emphasized, Black women are not perpetually passive victims, but active agents. It is totally possible for Black women to seize a form of empowerment, whether that be alternative education, or the creation of organizations that weren’t situated in either the Civil Rights movement or Women’s
Stewart’s essay “The Field and Function of Black Studies”, he implies that black history is dominated by continuing challenges by its critics and the weak attachment of many scholars to the black studies movement and to black studies units even when the research of such scholars examines the black experience (pg. 45). Statistics show that 70.2 percent indicated that the number of full-time faculty members who have appointments outside black studies and another academic units is stable, proving the fact that black studies has established a beachhead in higher education. This statistic demonstrates how things have been stable in terms of growing the teachings of black studies, which causes challenges. A challenge that can be seen from this issue, is the lack of financial support available to faculty and students. Small budgets are provided to Black Study departments at many universities, therefore, making it difficult to purchase materials and hire more educated, experienced staff
and the academic endeavour, to illuminate the experiences of African American women and to theorize from the materiality of their lives to broader issues of political economy, family, representation and transformation” (Mullings, page xi)
Educational advancement among black woman is substantially higher than the black man. This displays the inter-relatedness of the problems in the Negro family. The term “knowledge is power” coined by Maria Stewart literally connects to Moynihan’s
"Open Statement - The Help." Welcome to the Association of Black Women Historians Website. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Dec. 2013.
...to understand their experiences through their exposure and interactions with such incidents to foster their persistence and success in college. This research will not only help uncover the navigational strategies these women have employed to overcome oppressive barriers such as racism and sexism but also to identify the impact of these experiences on the development of their academic aspirations. The overall impact of this research is two-fold: at the macro level findings can benefit those in program and resource development to create effective programming and strategies to support women of color success in college. Along the same lines, the benefits of this research at the micro-level include promoting awareness among young women of color about the strategies that other women of color have adopted to overcome these challenges and reach their educational goals.
Black women's experiences and those of other women of color have never fit the private -public model. Rather than trying to explain why Black women's work and family patterns deviate from the alleged norm, a more fruitful approach lies in challenging the very constructs of work and families themselves. ("Native")
“Nationally, more than one-quarter of the students in the 1930s were black. Yet they received only about one-tenth of the total education revenues. Many Americans believed that African Americans were simply not capable of excelling in school” (“The 1930’s education…”). For colored women, it was more difficult to prove their abilities than any other race. For example, Asian women were not affected as much simply because their skin color was closer to that of a white’s than a black person. As black women were treated unequally in the education department, white women have also struggled in getting a higher education. “They gave young women a chance to gain the same kinds of education as their brothers without having to spend much of their time and energy fighting the prejudice they would have faced at male-dominated institutions. At the same time, they provided a proving-ground in which college administrators, professors, and students could demonstrate that women could flourish intellectually while remaining healthy and ladylike.” (“The Value
Next is John Henrik Clark, who refers to African America Studies as Africana Studies because he believes that Black tells you how you look, not who you are. He goes on to state that he calls African American Studies “a dilemma at the crossroads of history” (Clark 32). This is because European people knew history well enough to distort it and use it, as well as political weapons such as the gun and bible, to control the world. This is the reason why a look at African culture will show what Africana Studies are about or should be about. Africana Studies should embrace the Africans all around the world, in places like Africa, North and South America, the Caribbean Islands even those in Asia and the Pacific Islands. Clarke states that Africa is
In many universities today, you will find an African Studies Department. However, this has not always been the case. In the early 1930’s, Carter G. Woodson challenged the idea of “Mis-Education” of the black race. Woodson argues on the “education system’s failure to present present authentic Negro History in schools and the bitter knowledge that there was a scarcity of literature available for such a purpose”(Woodson 1). This idea was still an issue up until the 1960’s. The book The Black Revolution on Campus by Martha Biondi explains the origin of the African Studies department as it emerged after the uprising of black students demanding equal educational rights. The introduction of African Studies as an academic discipline came from the idea
Rooks, Noliwe. The Women Who Said, I AM. Vol. Sage: A Scholarly Journal On Black Women 1988.
Brown stresses the importance of recognizing that being a woman is not extractable from the context in which one is a woman. She examines how both black and white women’s lives are shaped by race and gender, and how these affect life choices. Historically, women of color have filled roles previously attributed to white women
Imagine this; the year is 1836. You are a 17-year-old student interested in learning more about the world around you; however, such an opportunity won’t come your way because you are black. Due to this fact you have no hope of furthering your education past the reading, writing, and arithmetic their slave masters taught your parents. A mind is a terrible thing to waste. The minds of many African American’s go to waste due to individual ignorance of their people and thus of themselves. Historically Black Colleges and Universities were put into effect to educate the black mind and eliminate the ignorance. The discussion of whether Historically Black Colleges and Universities are still necessary in the 21st century has taken place in recent years. Within the discussion many debate that due to the fact that the world is no longer like it was in the 1800’s, the time period in which Historically Black Colleges and Universities were created, the purpose of them no longer exists. However, the cultural significance of Historically Black Colleges and Universities seems to be overlooked by those who argue their importance and relevance in a time where blacks have the option of attending predominantly white institutions (PWIs). The purpose and grounds on which Historically Black Colleges and Universities were developed are still being served. The need to increase efforts to not only rouse, but support Historically Black Colleges and Universities is necessary now more than ever in order to preserve our past, fulfill the purpose of our present, and ensure our future.
The aspect of African-American Studies is key to the lives of African-Americans and those involved with the welfare of the race. African-American Studies is the systematic and critical study of the multidimensional aspects of Black thought and practice in their current and historical unfolding (Karenga, 21). African-American Studies exposes students to the experiences of African-American people and others of African descent. It allows the promotion and sharing of the African-American culture. However, the concept of African-American Studies, like many other studies that focus on a specific group, gender, and/or creed, poses problems. Therefore, African-American Studies must overcome the obstacles in order to improve the state of being for African-Americans.