When I think about where we are in the world today, collectively, I instinctively think about people of color. This is not only due to the oppressive life people of color have been dealt, it is most specifically due to the fact that people of color have been exploited for what they could provide. This is a topic that always leaves me with a bitter taste in my mouth, as a woman of color myself. Therefore, when I read the following quote: “We might use our position at the bottom to make a clear leap into revolutionary action. If black women were free, it would mean that everyone else would have to be free since our freedom would necessitate the destruction of all the systems of oppression,” women of color come to the forefront of my mind because of the very real and very corrupt struggle that oppression causes. This oppression affects us all, collectively, because our society is built on people of color, and women of color have been dealt with the brunt of it all. This issue is much bigger than we know because it stems from a genuine place of corruption.
When the Combahee River collective talk about “identity politics,” they are referring to the fact that when it comes to those in charge, those who have the platform and power to make a real difference in the lives of other, there lacks empathy, justice and equality. It is as though people of color, specifically and most predominately women of color, are forgotten and therefor experience the opposite of liberation. There is a powerful thing that occurs when we find our voice, when we choose to speak our truth and share our intimate experiences with others. This comes from the fact that our stories and experiences bring us together, tying us into a powerful and wonderful union.
Race and gender are tied to and affect various concepts, therein which exists capitalism. This can be seen in the salary of women of color and what is marketed to us, such as the beauty industry which makes billions of dollars on the premise of our very insecurities. Capitalism quite literally feeds off of us, exploiting and further enabling a disconnect between our identities and our experiences in the day to day. In layman’s terms, the system was built with only those who are not people of color to thrive and prosper, in an attempt to keep people of color in a stagnant place.
Hi Daniela,
I’d most definitely agree. One way race influences gender is through choosing who is deemed the “perfect woman” or “ideal guy” in American society. Since the formation of the United States, those in power have favored whiteness, which has molded how society considers the ideal forms of men and women as white.
Women of color are not only subjected to racism and sexism, but their experiences of both are affected by one another. For example, black women in the United States have been obliged to act in ways that are antithetical to the “ideal woman” since the time of slavery. They were designed to work in the field alongside men.
Daniela,
You’re opening paragraph really hit home for me. “This issue is much bigger than we know because it stems from a genuine place of corruption” this statement right here… I really appreciate how you answered each prompt specifically the second on identity politics. It gave me a new way to look what identity politics can mean.
Hello Daniela,
I definitely agree with the last paragraph. White people created a system where only they can thrive and they can feed off of us. They use us and we let them sometimes without even noticing because we are programmed to think that this is normal.
I really like the part that you mentioned “If black women were free, it would mean that everyone else would have to be free since our freedom would necessitate the destruction of all the systems of oppression”. Because Black womens means everything they are the one who fight for our rights and make all the new industry in society.