Ain’t I A woman w/Ambition
By Naje Badu Love
“You may write me down in history with your bitter, twisted lies... You may tread me in the very dirt, but still, like dust, I'll rise.” - Maya Angelou
I want to touch upon a topic I believe may strike sensitive nerves within the African-American community, depending on which side of the gender spectrum you fall. The purpose is really to speak truth to power, and to do so unapologetically, while at the same time ensuring no one is harmed in the process. My aspiration is to study, learn, and observe, and then hopefully spark discussions that bring about new perspectives and insights that may or may not have been considered prior to this moment. This requires that I position myself to expand my mind, heart, and spirit, or perhaps, even, to discard some of the beliefs I’ve unconsciously subscribed to for the better part of my life. My art, writing projects, the podcast I produce, and TheRhyze! are all channels I use to encourage people to do the same. Afterall, the point of our lives is to serve others in ways that enable every single one of us to leave the world better than when we arrived in this physical realm. Thus, both learning and unlearning ideologies and belief systems that no longer support our aspiration to rise to new heights gives way to broadening the way in which we experience life and the world in which we live. From where I am sitting, it’s the only true path to create the much needed healing for which our society craves.
Before I expound on the touchy subject I mentioned a moment ago, I should preface it by sharing from where my thoughts stemmed, and what has compelled me to express them in an article. I am concurrently reading two books penned by the author, professor, feminist, and social activist, Bell Hooks, titled Ain’t I a Woman and All About Love. The latter is a great work centered on how our varying understanding of love serves as the root cause to many of the many of the struggles we experience in relationships with people, and with the world. Ain’t I a Woman ( the cornerstone of this article) is a provocative piece of work of feminist scholarship that examines the effect of racism and sexism on Black women. In the past decade we have seen an influx of powerful demonstrations of resilience and progress of the Black woman. We’ve witnessed countless examples of women claiming their independence and competence, all the while finding the courage to start demanding well-deserved respect and equity. Yet, and still, we somehow maintain the lowest social status, which communicates just how much society deems Black women as unworthy of uplift, protection and, at the very least, respect. In the words of Malcolm X. “The Black woman is the most neglected person in America is the black woman.” Considering our experiencing the worst of conditions when it pertains to income, mental health, and maternal care than any other group in American society, I’d have to say that Malcolm’s words still resonate today. Bell Hooks argues that this unfortunate truth confronting is largely resultant of the horrific displays of racism and sexism endured during slavery. The most painful aspect of this reality, however, is that Black women remain frequently unsupported and unprotected by not just white society, but also by the men within our community. More about this later.
Now, what I found to be most interesting about the timing of my coming into possession of Ain’t I a Woman, is a recent conversation had with a very good friend of mine about how Black women are making some remarkable strides . And while such awareness was applauded, there were a few poignant questions that arose during the height of our conversations:
If the reality is that we maintain the lowest social status and experience the worst conditions than any other group existing in this white male patriarchal society, then how is it that there is exponential advancement in areas of business, education, professional development, and entrepreneurship among Black women today?
While we have witnessed the amazing unfolding of the Black women proudly celebrating our beauty, power, and resilience over the past few years, one has to ask why so many of us are excelling in spite carrying the burden of navigating through the negative perceptions and isms centered on race, gender, culture, and class.
As the banter of reasoning (which I will explore in just a moment) between my friend and I continued, we realized that it was simply impossible to ignore the proverbial elephant that had clumsily made its way into the conversation:
If the statistics about the rise of progressive Black women are valid, what then does this say about the plight of our male counterparts?
Before we continue, as the founder of TheRhyze!, I only subscribe to the concept of lifting up all people irrespective of race, gender, class, or creed. By no means am I Black male-bashing. I merely want to have a real conversation that can potentially empower someone or cause a shift that can significantly alter the trajectory of someone’s life. However, I also recognize that sometimes the quest for truth and change will shed light on realities that may or may not be so easy to stomach. In that light, we have to be honest as a community about not only the negative perception society maintains of Black men, but also the unfortunate truth that it has been rather difficult to observe how the Black women’s thirst for success is largely due to the lived experience of what others perceive of Black men.
Now, though it is true that Black women are excelling in phenomenal proportions to any other group of people in America, there is quite a bit to be said regarding the success disparity in areas of education and business. In the previous segment, I mentioned that during a conversation I had with a friend regarding this topic, a very poignant inquiry was made. And that is “if the statistics about the rise of progressive Black women are valid, what then does this say about the plight of our male counterparts?
My response to the inquiry was two-fold:
The underlying foundation of a Black woman’s desire to persevere despite circumstances and limitations that were designed to disempower African Americans
The systemic conditioning of mental, emotional, and physical oppression that make it hard to surmount limitation and achieve success
In chapter two of Bell Hook’s book, Ain’t I a Woman, she talks about the devaluation of Black womanhood. This chapter heightened my awareness as to why Black women are the most depreciated human being on this planet. So let’s take a moment to explore the three main topics covered in that chapter: sexuality, stereotypes, and matriarchy. Trust me, all three of those topics contribute to answering the three previous inquiries made in relation to the inarguable and indelible strides being made by Black omen today.
Sexuality:
Repulsion of uninhibited sexuality that is engrained in the foundation of American culture perpetuated the idea that Black women, the lowest of the low in the eyes of white men, could become the source of sexual fulfillment. And because Black women were not considered full human beings, fulfilling their sexual appetite outside of their marriage would not threaten their morale. It was their way of doing the wrong thing, the right way. In that regard, “Black women were vulnerable to all kinds of sexual, psychological, and physical abuse without any provision for their protection from white or black society,” states Hooks. In that same vein, it was the white male’s sexual objectification of Black women that compelled Black men to cave in to their temptation to return the favor by abandoning (the opposite of protecting) the Black female for a taste of the White woman.
All of this plays into why there seems to be such disdain Black men and women have when one or the other enters a relationship outside of their culture and race. For Black women, the sense of abandonment is relived over and over when we see our Black men with women who do not look like them. The excuse Black men use for dating people of other cultures is that 1) Black women are not as sexually free as their White counterparts, 2) Black women are difficult, while White women are more submissive. This sends a blatant message to Black women that they are unworthy of being treated equitably.
Myths and Stereotypes:
On that note, let’s explore the number of stereotypes and perceptions of people of color that are maintained by American society and perpetuated throughout the world. Keep in mind, depending on who and where you are in life, these stereotypes may be neither true or false.
(This is an excerpt from one of Naje’s upcoming book project titled, Risen: An Anthology)
STAY CONNECTED:
Naje Badu Love is the author of Let Go of Your But! A Woman’s Guide to Loving Herself to Full Potential and Possibility (purchase here). As an artist and illustrator, Naje founded Journal Up! (an organization designed to support people in their quest for true potential through journaling). to align her passion for writing, journaling and illustration as a means of connecting with and inspiring people around the globe. You are invited to reach out to her via Facebook and LinkedIn by following the social media details below:
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