Black Feminist Movement Essay

Black Feminism in The 1970’s:
Addressing Issues in the African American Female Community The Black Feminist Movement was a historical event that elevated the voices of oppressed African American women. The Black Feminist Movement came about in the 1960’s and 1970’s as a result of racial and sexual oppression towards African American women. At the time, there were many issues regarding gender and racial equality. Sexual oppression in the form of rape was also an issue. In return, there many movements that wanted to bring about change and address these issues such as the Black Panthers, Civil Rights movement, Women's movement etc. However, there were still conflicts within these movements. Most African American women felt racially and sexually
When she says “the problems turn out to be me”, she is not singling herself out, but she is implying that women of color are the so called problem. She also addressing the many issues within certain aspects of society from the church to the family unit. In this time period of oppression, it was a significant milestone for a black women to speak on political issues, simply because it was common for black women to be “discouraged from analyzing and speaking out about a host of topics” (Collins, 2000, p. 124). Fear was instilled into women of color for speaking out against topics such as sexuality, politics, politics, rape etc. Also, if black men felt like their superiority was being challenged, they would belittle black women. Being an insightful leader of that time period, “Jordan wrote and spoke out on every major political battle of the past half century—from apartheid and the U.S.-sponsored war in Nicaragua to the Harlem riots, gay rights, nuclear proliferation, and Rodney King” (Finn, 2003, p. 1 ). She was a voice for communities worldwide and a woman with the spirit of justice and truth. Her works applied greatly to the Black Feminist Movement. Jordan’s were committed to establishing political justice and being a voice for the