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Contemporary Politics
Black Women and Their Position in Contemporary Politics
Academic Jordalin Jenkins
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Nominated by Professor Joanna T. Jen
In the 1960s, middle-class white women dominated the women's liberation movement and left little room for black women and other women of color to participate. In 2021, not much has changed with the lack of representation of black women in high political positions and women's movements.
In bell hooks’ book Feminist Theory from Margin to Center, she perfectly explains how difficult it was for black women to participate in women’s movements, "The exclusionary practices of women who dominate feminism discourse have made it practically impossible for new and varied theories to emerge," (hooks 9). Black women were left out of women's movements and were disproportionately affected by patriarchy and sexist oppression long before white women created the women's liberation movement. Due to white women’s exclusionary efforts, they were the first to obtain high political positions and continued to serve as the primary group of women who held the highest political positions in the United States until 2020.
The women's liberation movement in 1960 sought to gain equal rights and equal opportunity for women across the United States. Women were exhausted from playing into gender roles where their primary jobs were housewives. They wanted higher education, equal, pay, and shared childcare responsibility with their husbands, thus ensuing the women's liberation movement, although, the women's liberation movement was not as inclusive of other women as it seemed to be. Many of the books written during the time, such as Betty Friedan's "The Feminine Mystique," show a very one-sided perspective of how sexist discrimination affected primarily white middle-class housewives. Black women and other women of color had no representation in women's rights books, and the movement and often felt as if they were unable to participate. bell hooks proves this when she says, “When I participated in feminist groups, I found that white women adopted a condescending attitude towards me and other nonwhite participants” (hooks 11). This condescending attitude was likely a result of white women’s racism. In fact, white women's interest in sexual inequality was partly sparked by their racism. In an article by Vox that mentions white women gaining the right to vote (which occurred after black men gained the right in 1870), the author quotes an angered white woman stating, "If educated women are not as fit to decide who shall be the rulers of this country, as 'field hands,' then where's the use of culture, or any brain at all?" bell hooks also makes a vital point about middle-class white women and how exclusive they were. She alludes in her book, "White women who dominate feminist discourse today rarely question whether or not their perspective on women's reality is true to the lived experiences of women as a collective group." (hooks 3), While white women's perspective on women's reality was a shared experience by other women, it certainly was not the experiences of all women as a collective group.
Not only has black women's participation in U.S. politics been crucial since they obtained the formal right to vote after the passing of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, but it was vital and extremely impactful in the last year. Forbes magazine states, “More than two-thirds of Black women turned out to vote in the 2020 presidential election.” Black women are the third-highest voters of any race-gender group. It was Stacey Abrams, a black woman from Georgia who ran for governor in 2018, who ensured voter suppression did not affect the outcome of the 2020 presidential election. If black women are this impactful to U.S. politics, why are they so underrepresented and comprise only 6% of Congress? The answer is not very complicated. Black women are victims of intersectionality. They are disadvantaged by being black and women and are disproportionately affected by racism, sexism, and discrimination in all aspects of life, including political atmospheres. In an article by Brookings.edu, they state, "When black girls get out of school and into the workforce, they have to work more than 66 years to earn what a white man earns in 40. Black women have lower earnings than black men, as
well as white men and women." This issue doesn’t resolve as more black women enter political atmospheres either. When black women run for office, they are less prone to acquiring the necessary funding and endorsements that help set up campaigns. bell hooks explains, "Groups of women who feel excluded from feminist discourse and praxis can make a place for themselves only if they first create, via critiques, and awareness of factors that alienate them" (9). Due to the structural racism and sexism black women face, they don’t have access to the necessary candidate training to help them turn their experience into effective campaign strategies These factors make the barriers of entry into politics very restrictive for black women.
There are high expectations placed on women in politics. Restrictions are placed on how they're allowed to dress, wear their hair, and do their makeup, amongst other things. These expectations are even higher and stricter for black women, especially when relating to their hair. The importance of black hair is historic. Black people have the most diverse hair globally; traditionally, it is worn in braids, twisted, afro styles, or dreaded. In many states, black students, working professionals, and political figures can be fired, bullied, and tormented for wearing their natural hairstyles. White people have forced black men and women to conform to Eurocentric beauty standards, which has been the dominant culture in the United States for over 100 years. Eurocentric beauty standards affect how black people are expected to wear their hair, but it also affects people's perception of what is "beautiful," usually of tiny lips, straight hair, a small nose, and fair skin. Moreover, most black hairstyles are commonly seen as unprofessional, unkempt, and inappropriate. When black women try to stand up for their right to wear their hair as they please, they're often faced with backlash and ridicule. Fortunately, more states and people are recognizing the hair discrimination that exists within businesses and politics. For example,
California became the first state to enact a ban against discrimination based on one’s natural hair in 2019. Beyond that, the U.S. military has also updated its uniform and grooming regulations. Black women are now allowed to wear their hair in various styles, such as locs or "dreadlocks." Military Captain McFadden is quoted in a New York Times article stating, "It's long overdue. It shows that the Army is recognizing we can be soldiers and still be ourselves, that being a soldier and a black woman is valid and valued."
In the history of the United States, there have only been three vice-presidential candidates who were women, and zero who were black women or other women of color. However, during the presidential election of 2020, Joe Biden would make history by announcing the first black woman, Kamala Harris, as his vice-presidential pick. Once Joe Biden and Kamala Harris won the presidential election of 2020, the barriers of entry for black women in politics would become slightly more accessible. As soon as the presidential race was called to an end, nine women ranging from Black, Asian, and Latina had been newly elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, bringing the total number of black women in Congress to 25 (out of 117 women) according to the Rutgers University Center for American Women and Politics.
However, Kamala Harris noted that there is still "a long way to go," until black women are adequately represented and supported in politics and business.
The 2020 election seemed like a big win for women in politics. However, as Kamala Harris said, there is still a long way to go. Unfortunately, black women are continuously severely underrepresented in politics on national and local levels. States such as Texas can still enact harmful and unreasonable reproductive laws, restrictive hairstyle rules still exist within politics and businesses, and violence against women is very prevalent. A handful of different male celebrities and politicians have been exposed for sexually assaulting women, namely the United States former President Donald Trump and Brett Kavanaugh (Associate Justice of the Supreme Court), which resulted in new waves of the #MeToo movement.
It often feels like we're going backward when we think about women's rights and women's rights movements since men still have a significant influence on what women are allowed to do, what political positions they can hold, and what women can do with their bodies. However, I believe that eventually, we will see societal norms change. Women's bodies will not be consistently on a debate block, and women of all races will be better represented in politics on all levels. As bell hooks said, "Sexism as a system of domination is institutionalized, but it has never determined in an absolute way the fate
of all women in this society" (hooks 5). I envision sexism as a system will be dismantled, and eventually, it will not determine the fate of any woman regardless of their race in this society. Hooks, Bell. “Feminist Theory from Margin to Center.” Wordpress.com, 2017, https://funceji.files.wordpress.com/2017/08/bell_hooks_feminist_theory_ from_margin_to_ centebookzz-org_.pdf.
CAWP Staff. “Results: Women Candidates in the 2020 Elections.” CAWP, 9 Feb. 2021, https://cawp.rutgers.edu/election-analysis/results-women-candidates-2020elections.
Grady, Constance. “The Waves of Feminism, and Why People Keep Fighting over Them, Explained.” Vox, Vox, 20 Mar. 2018, https://www.vox. com/2018/3/20/16955588/feminism-waves-explained-first-second-thirdfourth.
King, Vanessa, and Dieynaba Niabaly. “The Politics of Black Womens' Hair.” The Politics of Black Women's Hair, 2013, https://cornerstone.lib.mnsu.edu/cgi/ viewcontent.cgi?article=1003&context=jur.
Schnall, Marianne. “New Report on the State of Black Women in American Politics Highlights Both Progress and Untapped Potential.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 4 Nov. 2021, https://www.forbes.com/sites/marianneschnall/2021/11/03/new-report-on-the-state-ofblack-womenin-american-politics-highlights-both-progress-and-untappedpotential/?sh=d8104706fd48.
Wingfield, Adia Harvey. “Women Are Advancing in the Workplace, but Women of Color Still Lag Behind.” Brookings.edu, Brookings, 6 Jan. 2021, https:// www.brookings.edu/essay/women-are-advancing-in-the-workplace-butwomen-ofcolor-still-lag-behind/.
