The acknowledgement of Black women’s and women of color’s views, beliefs, and contributions to society all from the lens of a Black women’s perspective. A type of feminism on a deeper and richer level, i.e., Alice Walker’s definition of womanist, “…Womanist to feminist as purple is to lavender”
Published in Chapter:
An Ode to My Daughter: Navigating PWIs in the 21st Century
Andriette Jordan Fields (University of Denver, USA) and Alana D. Fields (University of Pittsburgh, USA)
Copyright: © 2023
|Pages: 20
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-6684-3564-9.ch001
Abstract
The goal of this chapter is to elucidate on how socio-cultural practices and systems within private and public institutions of higher learning influence and regulate Black women's attitudes, behaviors, and agency utilizing a womanist/feminist lens. Historically, Black women's bodies have been a topic of discussions relating to body images. These bodies have been undermined, disrespected, and shamed, portrayed in the media as angry, ugly, hypersexualized. Theses tropes and more have a bearing on how Black women are received or deemed invisible daily in various spaces i.e., PWI. A Black woman's positionality, femininity, hair, and identity politics, coupled with other unique identities, affect the social and political context impacting how systems are navigated at PWIs. The ability or inability to endure assumptions, stereotypes, and aggressions can confuse those that cross the line thinking that behaviors of disrespect are acceptable. Suggestions/advice are offered for success and keys for thriving, not simply surviving, at PWIs.