Dear Readers, I would first like to welcome you to this edition of Femmine Noire, a zine produced by Denison students, exploring different ideas associated with Black Feminism and Womanism. For this addition, we decided to explore the uses of poetry in Black Feminism. Audre Lorde in “Age, Race, Class, and Sex: Women Redefining Difference” discussed how poetry “is the most economical. It is the one which is the most secret, which requires the least physical labor, the least material, and the one which can be done between shifts, in the hospital pantry, on the subway, and on scraps of surplus paper.” We, the writers of this particular edition, are not selfproclaimed Black Feminist; however, we believe that we have the ability to support the movement even if we didn’t identify as Black Feminists. This is why we utilized poetry and other forms of art in an attempt to empathize with the peoples of this movement. This has been our first formal experience studying Black Feminism and we wanted to produce a zine that was an honest attempt at supporting the Black Feminist movement. In this attempt we discuss our experience with this particular movement and our difficulties as well as our ease when trying understanding such a movement. Thank You, Logan, Hannah, and William
Works Cited All Oppression Is Connected. Digital image. TransitionBlog. Blogger, n.d. Web. Angelou, Maya. GoodReads. N.p., n.d. Web. Braswell, Kristen. “12 Great Black Feminist Quotes.” Ebony 10 Mar. 2014: n. pag. Web. 18 Oct. 2015. Defining Intersectionality. Digital image. Feminist Typography Projects. N.p., n.d. Web. Feminism Is for Everyone. Digital image. PeacePlayers. N.p., n.d. Web. Feminism Is for Everyone. Digital image. PeacePlayers. N.p., n.d. Web. “A Feminist Theory Dictionary.” Web log post. Womanism. N.p., 17 July 2007. Web. 18 Oct. 2015. Gender Week Intersectionality. Digital image. Carolina’s Womens Center. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, n.d. Web. Intersectional Feminism. Digital image. Intersectional Feminism. WordPress, n.d. Web. Jones, Sarah. “Perfection.” Poem by Sarah Jones. Poetry Soup, 2015. Web. 18 Oct. 2015. Radical. Digital image. One Shade Human: WOMEN. WordPress, n.d. Web.
Why I Didn’t Understand Black Women: A Confessional and Exploration of Empathy William Jones Kline “All too often, the excuse given is that the literatures of women of Color can only be taught by Colored women, or that they are too difficult to understand, or that classes cannot ‘get into’ them because they come out of experiences that are ‘too different’” Audre Lorde, “Age, Race, Class, and Sex: Women Redefining Difference” I wasn’t exposed to Black Literature until my junior year of highschool. We read Lorraine Hansberry’s Raisin in the Sun and I didn’t understand it. Of course in the more conventional sense of identifying contextual themes and ideas I understood it. If you asked me whether or not I could map the plot out with chalk I could stand in front of a blackboard and point out crudely drawn rises and declines of climax and resolutions and what not; however, could I tell you the full magnanimity of the work? Probably not. It wasn’t that I didn’t try to read it. I certainly did, rereading some parts when hunting out symbols; however, I thought I didn’t understand it holistically because I wasn’t black. I thought I didn’t understand it because this was the first time I was ever introduced to these issues on a subjective level so that they were laid out and very explicit; however, even with this I dismissed them, losing them in a veil of literary analysis. I was too focused on the mechanics of the play rather than actually saturating myself and placing myself within the story. And although this happens with most of the stories I read, it was more important that I strip myself from this habit in order to fully understand. I wouldn’t say that I was a racist but rather indifferent, which know that I think of it is just a form of benign racism. I would argue with friends over whether or not it was important for me to support a specific cause by protest even if I wasn’t the one who was oppressing the individuals directly. I thought that it wouldn’t matter if I protested, because what could I do as a single individual? I didn’t feel that I could do anything because I was so insignificant in the scope of things and it isn’t like I was treating anyone differently in any such way. I would just regard any person as a human and just that a human; however, I found that it was important to make that step, to travel over from a passive actor to and active actor. This really started with A Rap on Race by James Baldwin and Margaret Mead. It was the transcript of a seven and a half hour conversation between the two on race. (If the length of the conversation doesn’t edify the magnanimity of the subject I don’t know what does.) James Baldwin contested, and I have heard many members of my Womanism and Black Feminist Studies class contend this as well, that the Black culture as it stands today is embedded in the White culture. It is an issue of what the White race allows for they are the oppressing people and thus the only way that racism will be dissolved is by a consciouscountereffort.
It seems that even if a Black solidarity movement gains ground there is a regression that occurs so that no progress is made. Audre Lorde in her essay “Age, Race, Class, and Sex: Women Redefining Difference” she notes a “historical amnesia”; one that is so potent that “keeps us working to invent the wheel every time we have to go to the store for bread.” She believes that it because we do not reference the past that we must constantly restart and relearn everything so that little to no progress is made; however, in addition to this recollection almost there needs to be an empathy, one that does reference the past. This was something that my indifference was only exacerbating. By me allowing this lack of consciousness to continue, at least in my own sphere, I was allowing for no progress to be made. This is when I realized that I needed to make the effort to empathize. I began reading Ellison and Wright as well as Black women writers like Wanda Coleman and Angelou. I wanted to expose myself completely to a reality of which I hadn’t faced. It is through this writing that I found it, and although still not to the point where I would want it to be, I have become more understanding. It has also proven that empathy is possible. It is possible to understand another’s experiences even if they are different; however, it is because we lack humility that we do not even try. This is why, in my opinion, political correctness is deceitful. People are more concerned with the social implications than actually being honestly concerned with a person’s well being. How then can we fix something if our causes are disingenuous? This is why we are forced to constantly “reinvent the wheel”. We are never actually concerned whether or not the wheel roles, but rather concerned with stating that we made a wheel in the first place. We must abandon ourselves so that we can understand all people especially those who are different. So much is lost by being selfrighteous while not making the step to understand and defend what has been established. It is an active honest consciousness that needs to be established. It needs to be established and it needs to be a fixture and a working component of White culture because we are the ones oppressing even if we do not face the Black community with active aggression. This is why literature is important at an early age, much earlier than junior or senior year of highschool. We need to establish that it is possible to understand people that are in different situations and we need to encourage selfexploration of these topics. It is important to establish a selfimpetus for without it students would most likely stop actively thinking about the issues and oppressions facing the Black community and Black women. It is lack of consideration that is forcing us to reinvent the wheel. We need to consider ourselves and we need to consider others and not dismiss their situations based on our not having an understanding or being in similar circumstances. We must not be afraid to continue shaping the wheel even after we have cut if from stone. We must also evoke this consciousness in all people, a continuing consciousness that does not weather due to lack of interesting. I need to be more empathetic. I must explore the situations of others and try to place myself next to them in order to understand them otherwise I would have to start my wheel over.
A request for those Beyond What They Show on the Television Tell me of the poetics running like subway trains
To the Black women waiting for the same bus, (and to those left to dance with their own tears):::
through five hour shifts.
what do you think of me?
Do you get caught in brambles
what do you see of me?
of police lights and ambulance
I am alone:
wails?
my father has gone and left the
Is it like how they show it all to
door open.
be on the television screen?
I’ve tried to follow him out,
It always seems so stretched out
only got caught in the door jamb.
through that looking glass.
And did I tell you!
Although, I have only seen it
Whitman too has fled
that way before.
from my heart
Tell me how it is for you.
and now I am left to sit under
I want to know.
the kitchen phone
When I ask here they only give
watching as the sky burns up
me statistics,
through the window
the same they show on television,
screen.
only they don’t show me pictures
so tell me,
so how am I to understand,
what part of me do
I want to understand.
I have left?
Please, Tell me how it is for you.
--Will Jones Kline
--Will Jones Kline
I believe That it is in human nature to love To love people despite their differences Because we are all human We are all alive We all have emotions Fears and struggles Laughter and celebrations Compassion and love Then Why? Why do we disregard others as equally human? We praise those that are mirror images of us And fear those that look back at us with different skin To us, difference is mysterious and threatening We must control what we do not know We must tell them why they are different We strip them of their right to define themselves Cracking and distorting the mirrors that everyone views them through Why do we do it? Why do we harm those that we inherently love? Though it is in our nature to love it is also in our nature to hate To hate those that unearth our own insecurities and flaws That challenge our power and authority But power and hate destroys happiness And creates war and despair It conceals our love for humanity Tricks us into separating and oppressing Establishes those who are righteous and those who are corrupt We must not fight our intuition to love Or complicate the rules of human nature The rules that judge who is admired and powerful And who is subservient to the superior order Let us condemn the hierarchy that targets diversity And cultivate a community that praises differences Let us welcome the faces that stare back at us with features unlike our own And realize that their hearts are complementary to our hearts We all belong to the same race The human race --Logan Wright
I said I was not racist I said I loved everyone I thought that compared to others, I was better But while sitting upon my white throne I was ignorant to the injustices I was helping to inflict My thoughts fought with one another endlessly What I wanted to believe Losing viciously to what was true But I never hurt anyone? Of course I desire equality Of course I stand up for inequality Those who do not are wicked I am not wicked I must make myself believe that I am not wicked I am wicked Stop Stop denying your faults Do not let the white light blind you Tear down the pedestal you built from a history of shame YOU are the problem YOU are the solution Rip off the cozy blanket I wear Uncover the issues I have been shielded from Let me shiver and cy For I have done nothing to help warm those without protection Let me share my blanket with you
--Logan Wright
Womanism and Denison Through My Eyes Logan Wright For me personally, life is about learning; however, life is not about learning similar knowledge within the same context. It is about escaping your comfort zone and discovering different and opposing viewpoints. It is about enlightening and exposing yourself to ideas that question your previous beliefs. And most importantly, life is learning about different people and cultures, that, in turn, provide insight into your own values and importance as a person. Though I preach about the significance of learning and living, I can confidently say that I have not followed my own beliefs. At this point in my 19 years of life, I can honestly admit that I have not lived nor learned. I grew up in a predominantly white, middle to upper class town, with people who, for the most part, dressed the same, acted the same, had the same beliefs, and the same presumed sexual orientation (heterosexual). In comparison, the schools I attended to mirrored the same components of my town. I am not saying that everyone was the same, for I believe that each individual person is unique and like no one else, but everyone was trying to belong, and eventually, the people in my life became interchangeable to one another. Unfortunately, growing up with people who matured in an environment similar to mine, did not promote any variation in the normality of my everyday life. Therefore, I was entrapped within my safe, uninterrupted bubble, oblivious to my misinformed life. Until I came to Denison University. The students of Denison who have come from diverse backgrounds would most likely agree with the statement that Denison is not diverse, but predominantly white. Though this is true, for someone like me, Denison provides a wonderful eye-opening community. Dr. Weinberg always urges us to take a class or join a club that is out of our comfort zone. When I was scheduling for classes, I did not get into many of my top choices. This forced me to observe the course list in greater detail. I came across a class called Black Feminist Thought. Given my past history, this particular class would definitely challenge me in a multitude of ways. At first, I was very overwhelmed. Because the class was a 300 hundred level course, many students had already completed Intro to Feminism and Intro to Black studies and were well-versed in the subject. Then there was me: A naïve, freshmen with absolutely no personal experience, nor school experience with the subject. It’s safe to say that I was utterly out of my element, and, naturally, nervous. I was worried that I was going to blurt out ignorant, offensive, and illiterate sentences. I was worried that my white privileged voice would seep into every opinion or belief that I expressed. This may sound dramatic, but this class may be one of the best things that has ever happened to me. I am gaining the knowledge that I need to make a change. I am learning about different people and identifying with people who appear to be the exact opposites of me. I am learning about why I love people and why I cherish the differences of the human race. Unfortunately, I am also learning why the black community, and black women specifically, are unjustly oppressed and misrepresented. Oppressed by my ancestors, my role models, and even by my family members. Oppressed by people like me. Black Feminist Thought has forced me to change my habitual way of thinking, recognize my faults, and respond to my idleness in the equality movement.
Community Transitions: From Diversity to a lack of Adversity Hannah Fishkin Home, for me, is a diverse place. Just outside of Chicago, Evanston is one of the most diverse cities in the Chicagoland Area. At first glance it wouldn’t seem this way. A beautiful lakeside community with towering homes many of which are historical landmarks, doesn’t initially strike people as a diverse community, but in reality it is. I grew up in a city that essentially hit every part of the spectrum. Lee Allen Jones, a writer, politician, football coach, child of the projects of Chicago and a frequent visitor of Evanston said to me when he visited my class senior year, “Evanston is one of those places that has never not been diverse. I’ve visited this class every year for 18 years, and the aesthetic and openness of this community has never changed, not once. You all never fail to impress me with that.” I agree with him whole-heartedly. My class at Evanston Township High School was universally known as different. Administration realized through many statistical analyses and through observation that since kindergarten, our class was the most socially integrated. They never really figured out why, but we had the highest grades seen since 1980, the most diverse AP classes, and social integration they had ever seen. Maybe the number 2015 is lucky, I think it is, at least it better be or the Cubs may never win the series for another 100 years. But I talk to people in the grade below me and they have had the same friends since kindergarten and usually those friends are of the same race or background as they are, except my year. My best friends in kindergarten were my twin sister, a girl named Sasha who was born in India, a black girl named Brittany, and a boy named Samir whose mom was Jewish and his dad was born in India. I’ve stayed friends with all of them and still talk to them to this day. I cannot say the same for those who are in the classes above and below me. I wish we could find an answer for why my year is so diverse and accepting, but I’m happy knowing that we are the best my community has seen in a long time. I know those peers I was with for those 18 years will do amazing things. Now to go into my college transition. Coming from my community to the Denison community was difficult for many reasons. My community at home has taught me so much about life; they taught me to never take things for granted because they can disappear just as quickly as they appear, I must always have an open mind because no one person is the same, and that I must be compassionate, because without compassion you will never be able to understand others. I knew coming to college I might be a lot of things; I might be the first Jew that people have ever met, I might be more opinionated than others, and I might be more open-minded than others. I think I was prepared but not prepared enough. During our Aug-O we were brought to a seminar called “Sex Signals.” I found it incredibly interesting and a great way to teach students about consent. There was one boy in the audience that just really wasn’t getting it. He was from the country of Georgia, and couldn’t grasp the idea of consent and consent when it is mixed with alcohol. I was livid that anyone could be saying what he was saying. That was the first time in a long time where I had ever really encountered someone with no idea about what was right and wrong when it came to a concept like consent. I am so familiar with that concept, and listening to him and seeing how people attacked him, made me rethink some things. I had to really think about myself, how I handle problems and how I would handle a situation like that again. I know that I would never like to be attacked like he was, he wasn’t being an asshole, he was just being ignorant, and it wasn’t his fault, it was the fault of the society he was brought up in. It’s hard realizing that not everyone was brought up as liberal as I was. It’s hard to open up to other people’s opinions and it’s even harder to respect other opinions that radically differ from your own. I have witnessed blatant racism here, I have witnessed ignorance here, and I have never had to defend my beliefs so much before I came here, but it’s good for me. I’m learning, and I hope others are too. College isn’t just about learning in a seminar, it’s about learning from others. I appreciate that about womanism. It forces me to question things, myself, and beliefs. I hope people keep challenging my opinions, because if they don’t I may turn into a close-minded person, and my mom taught me better than that.