Black Feminists Take Control - Essay Sample

Introduction

Combahee River Collective Statement issued by Combahee river collective lesbian organization in 1977 is centered on the idea of combating series of diverse and concurrent oppression that all women of color are subjected to. They instrumentally highlighted that, the white feminist organizations were not adequately addressing their specific needs. This was put forward and was to be achieved through the formation of political movements by the black feminists (Women's Studies Quarterly, 273).

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Order now

Driving Force

This movement was catalyzed by the members' lack of satisfaction with various black liberation movements comprising black panthers, Black Nationalism and civil rights movement that were organized between the 1960s and 1870s. The main driving force to the issuance of the collective statement was the perception that, the aforesaid movements were racist toward their female counterparts. Therefore, just like in the modern society where international and various community initiatives across the globe have been developed to eliminate all form of racism, the Combahee River Collective statement was issued to eliminate class oppression, sexuality, racism and heterosexuality (Women's Studies Quarterly, 275).

The Legacy, Identity and History

The collective's name is attached to resistance mobilization action by Harriet Tubman during late 1863 in South Carolina, The Combahee River Raid. A significant step was noted when she freed approximately 750 slaves in an exceptional military mobilization. Undeniably, they have left a mark in history for developing significant political statement built on contemporary black identity. This was seen as a rational political movement by the black movement that was in line with what they believed in and was to act as the beginning of black women liberation.(Women's Studies Quarterly, 277). Notably, in the modern society, all forms of racism have been exposed ranging from the community level to international level and the roots of this exposures can be traced back with the ancient movements like the black feminist movements. Moreover, not shying off to address the history of various white's women associations, that failed to recognize and acknowledge black women experiences, Combahee river collective group voiced out their concern about social changes. However, this did not mean they could not form any allied groups with the white women or black males.

Collaboration and Interest

The movement had shown interest and believed in collaboration with every other group that could move with them in solidarity of eliminating all forms of racisms and addressing their specific needs as black feminist. Moreover, the feminist group has placed much emphasis on the concept of their identity and their own relationship in relation to oppression in the society. In light with the concept of identity and society relationship, the black feminist has moved a step ahead to create awareness through the incorporation of their queer experiences on the need to the formation of multiple political movements to foresee the needs of the black women and finally liberate them (Women's Studies Quarterly, 277).

Evaluation of Political Stance

Notably, the movement did not allow any form of elitist stand in their organization by humbly asserting that they would not accept any form of queenwood and pedestals that could override the interest and focus of the group. Moreover, the movement also conducted an evaluation of their political stance. They embraced certain core values including self-commitment and self-criticism. For instance, they questioned whether such acts as lesbianism separation were progressive and adequate political analysis and strategy. In addition they accepted and appreciated their identity as black women making them acknowledge the fact that the psychological toll of their color and their political works can never be underestimated.

The collective statement has no doubt played an integral part in influencing the black race on their social quest for change. Moreover, the statement forms part and parcel of the feminist theory and a significant identity of black feminism. For many decades, the feminist group for the first time openly voiced their sexual concerns in their quest for social reforms and justice by engaging in various political struggles. Therefore, in relevance to modern society, black women injustices should not be reduced either race or gender, but rather be understood on the women's own needs and terms. For instance, the wage disparity between men and women has been used occasionally as evidence to reveal the prolonged period of sexism in the workforce setting.(Women's Studies Quarterly, 278).

Conclusion and Recommendation

Undeniably, feminist women are subjected to discrimination in numerous ways that are not aligned to either racism or sexism, rather a combination of both. Yet the modern legal society systems define sex as an unspoken reference to the injustices that every woman is subjected to including the whites and confronted by everybody. While on the other hand, equating racism as a plague that affects everyone including the male blacks and other people of color. Therefore, this context has decreed black feminist legally invisible even in modern society by not giving them a source of legal recourse. Therefore, if more political feminist groups in the United State could collaborate and adopt Combahee River Collection self-evaluation approach in fighting for their legal rights and open to transformative changes affecting the life of entire humanity, we would not hear about such cases as oppression and marginalization of women.

Work Cited

Combahee River Collective. "A black feminist statement." Women's Studies Quarterly (2014): 271-280.