Melissa Valle Discussion #10

What is meant by 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”. I think that here in the United States, black women have been at the bottom of the social hierarchy for centuries. This has given black women a unique vantage point from which to observe and analyze the system of oppression that has been imposed on them and others. It has also given them a unique platform from which to rebel against the system and fight for their own freedom and the freedom of others. When black women are free, it has been demonstrated over and over again that it causes a chain reaction which results in the liberation of others.

One of the most famous examples of a film captures the importance of black feminism is Paris Is Burning. It follows the lives of several drag queens and ballroom dancer in New York city during the 1980’s is an accurate depiction of the ways in which black feminism has shaped the feminist movement. It shows the ways in which black feminist has brought issues of race and gender to the forefront and kept them there, event when it meant disregarding some of the moderate voices of movement. Black feminism is often criticized for being too focused on the experiences of black women, rather than the experiences of all women. This is often referred to as “identity politics,” and is opposed to what is referred to as “class politics,” The Combahee River Collective argued that black women should focus on and work on behalf of the liberation of black women, and that black women should not work toward the liberation of white women and men, since these groups were also oppressors. They also argued that black women should work toward the liberation of gay and transgender men and women, who were also oppressed by the system, because black women had a stake in the system and were therefore allies in the struggle against it.

Race and gender are often connected in the world of capitalism, as those who have power over the means of production often hold a racial and gender perspective. It is therefore not surprising that many people who are the victims of capitalist oppression are often the objects of attacks by those who have power over the means of production. This is the case in this story. By focusing on the oppression of black women in the story