Black Women and Sexism in Black Civil Society

16 Questions

What is Pauline Terrelonge's main concern?

The subordination of African-American women in the Black community

What is the common view regarding African-Americans' ability to withstand abuse, as per the text?

It is mainly due to the strength and resilience of Black women

What is the primary duty that many blacks regard the black woman to have, as per the text?

Uniting all blacks

What does Terrelonge argue is essentially incompatible with the black woman's primary duty?

Her own individual liberation

According to the Black matriarchy thesis, what was the supposed impact of working African-American mothers on their children?

They failed at school due to lack of proper supervision.

From the dominant group's perspective, the Black matriarch was seen as a failed what?

Failed mammy

How do Black women intellectuals typically portray African-American mothers in their studies?

As complex individuals facing adverse conditions

How do Black women intellectuals describe Black matriarchs and mammies?

As complex and multi-dimensional

What does the author suggest about the standards of beauty for African-American women?

They are influenced by prevailing standards set by various groups including White men and women.

What does editor Elena Featherstone emphasize in her Preface to Skin Deep: Women Writing on Color, Culture and Identity?

Issues of race and color are deeply embedded in a distinctly American form of racism.

How does the author describe the impact of controlling images on women?

They become virtually impossible to escape due to their hegemonic nature.

What does the U.S. context's colorism operate based on?

The distinctions between Black/White racial categories.

What is one drawback of the idea of looking at social struggles by separating out different groups?

Imagining that groups operate independently of each other

Why has there been a tremendous rise in Black women’s consciousness through writing and scholarship since the 1960s and 1970s?

To understand the liberation of Black women in the US

What does the author encourage readers to do, even if they are not Black, women, or lesbians?

Apply the discussion to their own experiences

Why is it popular to consider how different groups function together in social struggles?

It is seen as a powerful analytic tool

Study Notes

The concept of analyzing social struggles by separating groups and studying their dynamics independently has gained popularity but is criticized for oversimplifying complex intergroup relations.
Since the 1960s and 1970s, there has been a significant rise in writing and scholarship among Black women focusing on understanding their experience and path to liberation in the US.
The Black matriarchy thesis, introduced in a 1965 government report, argued that working Black mothers were contributing to social problems due to their absence from home and emasculating behavior towards men.
Black women intellectuals have challenged this stereotype, emphasizing the complexity of Black women and their roles as mothers and contributors to their communities.
Black women have criticized sexism within the Black community, questioning why they have failed to recognize patterns of sexism despite facing daily issues.
The idea that Black women's fortitude and critical roles in supporting their families and communities has become a justification for their subordination and the belief that their primary duty is to unite all Blacks.
The binary thinking of White and Black women further complicates the issue of beauty standards, with White women privileged due to their skin color and straight hair, while Black women are unable to meet prevailing standards.
Contrary to popular belief, race and color issues are not as simple as Black and white, but deeply embedded in American racism grounded in Black/White oppositional differences.

Explore the criticism of sexism in Black civil society and the role of Black feminist voices in addressing the subordination of African-American women. Learn about the development of black feminist consciousness and the challenges faced by black women in recognizing patterns of sexism within their community.

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