Ain't I A Woman: Black Women and Feminism

In this chapter, hooks takes a historical approach to the theme of The Devaluation of Black Womanhood. She shows how after slavery, perceptions of Black women shifted to maintain a hierarchical structure of white supremacy, with Black women on the lowest tier. hooks explains that the biases and stereotypes that informed ideologies about Black women during Reconstruction still apply today, and these disparities were maintained through sexual violence.

hooks weaves the theme of The Impact of Patriarchal Culture into her study of Black womanhood. In Chapter 1, she explains how freedom was perceived by enslaved Black men as the ability to participate in the dominant culture—that is, white patriarchy. As Black men began to internalize and express patriarchal culture in their own homes and relationships, Black women were forced into subservience by sexism, and racism ensured their oppression outside of the home. In Chapter 2, hooks traces how this expression of patriarchal culture continued to impact the lives and perceptions of Black women after slavery ended. Widespread sexual assault of Black women, normalized during slavery, continued into the Reconstruction era. Additionally, Black women were ostracized by Christian ideas of femininity and purity, and stereotypes about Black women as innately sinful or temptresses pervaded American consciousness. hooks examines how these stereotypes endure today:

One has only to look at American television twenty-four hours a day for an entire week to learn the way in which black women are perceived in American society—the predominant image is that of the “fallen” woman, the whore, the slut, the prostitute. (52)

These negative and volatile stereotypes are rooted in patriarchal structures that intend to create a power disparity between white men and women. During slavery and in its aftermath, sexual violence committed against Black women was normalized by the perception of Black women as sexually promiscuous. White people believed that Black women invited sexual assault because of their assumed inferior morality. When Black women attempted to change how others perceived them, they were met with resistance and harassment from both Black and white parties. Even within Black communities, Black women who attempted to obtain positions outside of service or who emulated the mannerisms and styles of white women were viewed as self-important or delusional.

After slavery, white society was concerned about America’s racial future and social order. Concerns about Black and white people marrying one another led to a series of legislative acts, which enforced racial apartheid. New stereotypes emerged, each representing The Intersectionality of Racism and Sexism. American culture absorbed the myth that all Black men were dangerous and sought to sexually assault white women. Meanwhile, Black women were taught to fear white men as potential assailants, a caution rooted in historical experience. As interracial relationships became more acceptable, hooks details how marriages between Black men and white women were viewed differently from those between white men and Black women. She asserts that because both Black men and white women were considered inferior within white patriarchal culture, those unions were more accepted, though Black men still faced racist violence from white men who viewed white women as their property and interracial marriages as sinful. A marriage between a white man and a Black woman, however, challenged accepted notions about status and power. Historically, when a woman married a man, she adopted his social status. Therefore, a Black woman who married a white man was considered to be of equal status—an idea that directly threatened white rule. hooks discusses how these ideas extend into the present day, asserting that interracial marriages between Black women and white men are less common than ones between white women and Black men. The Devaluation of Black Womanhood is a tool to keep white men in a position of authority within a patriarchal culture.