Sharah Hutson
Contributing Writer
Through a series of events and the passing of generations, it is evident to see that Black women have carved their very own unique spaces with the use of self-definition to give a great meaning towards literature, film, music, education and other realms.
When Black women crafted such spaces, it gave them a sense of liberation, for now they could be presented in spaces where they had once been forbidden to bringing their story to life.
It has been quite a journey for Black women to gain positive attention from other majority and minority groups. Even today, there exists a constant struggle of dismantling negative stories, comments and thoughts towards Black women.
The only way to honor such resistance and survival in our contemporary circumstances is to model ourselves after the greatness that came before us. By applying the many lessons taught by older generations and by giving these lessons nuance, we can improve our lives in an effective manner.
Written within the book Black Feminist Thought are passages that beautifully depict what being a Black women truly encompasses. In these pages, there is so much evidence as to why carving out their own spaces is important. Such a book offers several different venues in which Black women share a range of events they experienced throughout their life.
The passages featured had such a great range of experience due to the differences among Black women, including age, sexual orientation, class and the places they lived.
Despite the amount of variations among Black women that have created division in the community, each of them has carved out a space together.
Stated within Black Feminist Thought is the quote, “domination always involves the objection of the dominated; all forms of oppression imply the deviation of the subjectivity of the oppressed.”
This very quote calls upon all of the trials and tribulations Black women experience in order to prove themselves as worthy to outside groups.
Within this space is the foundation of self-definition and evaluation of one’s self. Placing value and a clear definition regarding the consciousness of Black women supports eradicating the dehumanization that plays a role in dominant systems.
Even though these great advances exist, Black women are still underrepresented in various spectrums. Far too long have they not been allowed to rise to powerful positions that shift an entire society, and therefore a negative light has been cast upon them.
Even within the literature realm, publishing houses and theatrical promoters are put in business to hold back Black women by publishing content neither about nor by them.
When Black women have triumphed through all of the unfair misprints, it shows other minority groups that all things are possible through hard work. Both historic and current day leaders can paint a picture of how society has altered all because a Black woman could locate a strong sense of self-pride. Generations of before can look to Black women like Patricia Hill Collins, Octavia E. Butler, Zora Neale Hurston and Marita Golden as inspirations.
Those who dwell in today’s time can also look towards youths like Amandla Stenberg, an activist for intersectional feminism and the LGBTQIAP community, or Viola Davis, who speaks about ridding entertainment awards of Eurocentric standards.
In the absence of Black women carving out their own spaces, many Black women would not be able to connect with the events occurring around them, and would have very little to no form of self-identity.