Race And Sexism In Shirley Chiisholm's I D Rather Be Black Than Woman

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In Shirley Chisholm’s “I’d Rather Be Black Than Female,” she presents an examination of race and gender in politics. Chisholm was a black woman involved in politics, which led her to the conclusion that being black is preferable to being a woman. To substantiate the conclusion, Chisholm provides examples of racism and sexism from personal and observed experience. The primary purpose of “I’d Rather Be Black Than Female” is expressive. The first sentence of the essay, “the first black woman elected to Congress” (409), provides an historical context for the reader and a self-definition of Chisholm. Later the in essay, Chisholm adds more detail about her political career by writing “I have been active in politics for more than twenty years” (409). By self-definition, Chisholm is introduced as a seasoned politicians, who has struggled against patriarchal expectations of female behavior. In terms of expressing her values, Chisholm is dedicated to civil rights and feminism. Chisholm writes about whites indifference towards racial prejudice until “blacks finally started to ‘mention’ it, with sit-ins, boycotts, and freedom rides” (409). Another topic, related to feminism, …show more content…

The characteristic of a thesis statement is present and there is comprehensive evidence. The thesis statement is “Of the two handicaps, being black is much less of a drawback than being female” (409). Chisholm proceeds to explain the thesis statement by providing evidence, including “When I tried to break out of that role [in low-level politics, such as “district or county vice-chairman”] in 1963 and run for the New York State Assembly seat from Brooklyn’s Bedford-Stuyvesant, the resistance was bitter. From the start of that campaign, I face undistinguishable hostility because of my sex” (410). That quotation provides evidence supporting the idea in the thesis statement that women are considered more subordinate than black

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