The contribution of black women to the African American freedom Essay

The contribution of black women to the African American freedom struggle between 1865 and 1940 - Essay Example Gates et al. (2012; p.492) state that â€Å"political participation has been a fundamental constant in the lives of African American people† and this statement is verifiable by the great testaments of the struggle for freedom and justice that black men and women have portrayed and displayed with relentless and enduring determination in the past. Sheriff et al. (2011; p.432) observe that the beginnings of the African American struggle are outlined in the people’s quest for independence from dominance, supremacy of the other and slavery. Certainly, the role of black women in carrying this vision, guiding it towards its realization and ensuring that the struggle for independence evolves into the achievement of equality has been critical and of immense importance. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the contributions of black women to the African American freedom struggle by directing specific focus towards the analysis of the period lasting between 1865 and 1940. The discussion in the succeeding sections of the paper aims to establish a critical view of the role that black women played in achieving the aims that were advanced by early writers, journalists, historians, leaders and freedom fighters between 1865 and 1940. ... The adoption of this framework throughout the progress of the analysis essentially enhances the comprehensiveness and depth of the research by suggesting that the actions of a human being cannot be understood in their entirety unless the fundamental role that various systems, entities and organizations play in dictating those behaviors and decisions is fully acknowledged and realized (Gates 2012; p.493). Therefore, in comprehending the actions of black women that were fundamentally motivated by their desire for freedom, equality and independence their intersectional positioning within the wider context of society is of the utmost importance. Consequently, by implementing the foundations of this approach the one-dimensionality and generality of exclusively assessing a single individual is removed such that the individual does not essentially depict the true story of the black women’s role in the African American struggle for freedom and the hardships they had to suffer during t he course of their journey. In accordance with the observations of this framework of analysis the foundations of black women’s historical role in the political advancement of African American agenda is said to be an amalgamation of racism and sexism (Gates 2012; p.494). Collier-Thomas and Franklin (2001; p.2) suggest that even though, stories which reflect the selfless participation of African American women in the civil rights movement have only come to light by writers and researchers in recent decades these assessments have provided a comprehensive view of the state of black women in various epochs which is indicative of their tremendous progress to the present day. The foremost aspect in the critical evaluation of the contributions of black women in the African American freedom struggle