The struggles of being an African American women have been both visible and inevitable over time. They are treated poorly, not only due to the color of their skin, but also due to the stereotype that women are suppose to serve their supposed feminine duties. Women, more specifically black women have been constantly degraded and looked down upon while also facing the troubles of discrimination given towards African Americans in general. Women have often fought for their voices to be heard and for their rights to be as equal as men, but constantly get shut away and their capabilities are further diminished. Black women can be known to possibly face the most discrimination in our society and many look down on them and speak poorly of them for not fitting the normalized standards of a woman in this day and age. It is very obvious which group of people hold their privileges high and belittle these African American women. Due to the way they look and have been raised and what they’ve been taught, this is not something that should be held against them and certainly not something that should cause them to be looked at negatively compared to everyone else. The color of their skin should not be seen as criminally dangerous or offensive in any scenario. A large capacity of people can agree it is unfair and wrong for African Americans to feel like they’re a threat to others because that’s what has been planted in their minds for so long. They are just like everyone else, wanting the same opportunities, the same rights and the same freedom.

According to the reading, several moves in organizations have been made collectively. As I discussed previously, these group of Black feminists talk about struggling racially and struggling with sexual, heterosexual and class oppression. She continues making very important and impactful statements such as “Black women have always embodied, if only in their physical manifestation, an adversary stance to white male rule and have actively resisted its inroads upon them and their communities in both dramatic and subtle ways.” This can clearly define the harsh issue in discriminating Black women, especially when it comes to White men seeing them as competition. Many Black women wish to see change in this area of debate and want to spark in a better, more understanding and less controversial direction in order to gain equal support and opportunities. Groups of Black voices and feminists have existed for a long time now and their ambition remains, they continuously fight for change. There have undeniably been times where they might have felt discouraged but to this day, never has the fight for their equality stopped. The reading also states “As children we realized that we were different from boys and that we were treated differently. For example, we were told in the same breath to be quiet both for the sake of being “ladylike” and to make us less objectionable in the eyes of white people.” making it visible that young Black women have commonly faced a form of physical and sexual abuse.

As the video “Paris is Burning” progresses, it looks further into the communities of African Americans, Latino, gay and transgender people. It is an exploration of the struggles these groups of people face in America due to their race, class, gender or sexuality. Of course anyone can fully admit the idea of being able to be yourself and embrace every part of you is unimaginably a good feeling. However unfortunately, not many groups of people can experience that feeling without being degraded and having their own differences be pointed out as “wrong.” So many people in this world hate the idea of transgender people, African American people, gay people, etc. These are all ongoing issues which take place in our society and we may even see it happening to someone else in our day to day lives. It is a disheartening feeling to face when you know and unfortunately have to acknowledge there are people who do not accept you. This film touches upon these topics and provides a sense of realistic understanding and how these groups of people are often shut down by society and anyone else around them who does not support who they truly are.