American History

Since the 19th century, African American women have shown their concern on feminist tradition and racism. They have supported different means of racial and gender equality process. Throughout American history, they have chosen to sustain race equality over gender. However, African American women are in double jeopardy status as women and ethnic minorities in the American society. There are several intersections between gender and racism. These intersections are historical developments. In the past, for example, race and gender were treated as separate social categorizations. Now, new concepts are essentially merged connotations of race and gender (for example, the concept of black prostitute).

African American women, throughout their history of existence, have to deal with maintaining their African culture in a society where non-American or non-European cultures are devalued, as well as with being a woman in a patriarchal, sexist society (Greene 74). Moreover, African American women are engaged in two different communities, the African American community and the feminist community. The African American community considered racism as the most repressive force that hinder them their ability to grow as an individual. For that reason, African American women are encouraged to show their whole support to the African American community so that they can eventually develop as a race. The other community, the feminist community (White women alone), have shown their doubts on the support of the African American women. Moreover, as Reid stressed, White women believed that the inability of African American women to join the fight for equal rights among men and women will equivalently pertain to the growth of sexism in the African American community.  However, adhering with the feminist community can result to the belief that African American men are their enemies and main oppressors. Furthermore, intended support to the feminist community by the African American women can be perceived by the African American community as a threat to what they are fighting for.

The interconnection of race and gender in the lives of all African American women can be observed throughout the history of the United States. In order to analyze the condition of race and gender as an interrelated issue of the African American women, it is evident to show the events that permits its formation.

History of racism and sexism
The traditional history of African American response to racism and white supremacy are inevitable. African American also stressed that sexism has not been considered as an oppressive force that attack the rights of Black women by Black men. Conventionally, African American community believed that slavery and continued discrimination have not undermined the humanity of Black people. To recognized, then, that sexism has undermined the entire Black community would involve the acknowledgement that racism is not the only oppressive force in their community.    

In 1974, the Combahee River Collective, a Black feminist movement, stressed that the emancipation of African American women would involve the abolition of racism, sexism and class oppression. The emancipation has been equated to freedom of all people regardless of their gender, ethnicity and class. Moreover, Alice Walker, an American author and activist, created a concept of Black feminism, in which, she pointed out that African American women have experienced a more intense form of oppression compare to White women.

Sheila Radford-Hill, in her essay entitled Considering Feminism as a Model for Social Change, has considered feminist African American womens view on racism. She argued that, African American women have been more concern on the racism of White women within the feminist movement, and in the racial equality, than on the ways the feminist movement could help the African American community (Collins, 4).  Racial discrimination and sexism have been a major issue in the feminist world. Several African American women have translated these issues into writings, speeches and public talks. One of them is Sojourner Truth- an African American abolitionist and womens rights activist. In her notable speech Aint I a Woman she provided the ultimate goal of establishing the concept of sexism as an evident factor in the development of African American womens status.

In the United States, being a racist and sexist society, many African American women do not join the feminist movement due to the attitude of White women who are racist. There are some White women who really fight for the equal rights of American women regardless of race and class, and eventually committed to end White supremacy. However, this is unacceptable to majority of the Black women. They still have considered the historical and most oppressive form of marginalization (racism) as a major factor in their actions towards the feminist community. In work settings, African American women have cooperated and complied with the White women. Nevertheless, Black women still have their doubt in showing their trust to White feminists. The lack of enthusiasm showed by Black women towards White feminist can be tracked from the internal racism shaped by the American society.

Sometimes, the claim that feminism is only for the benefit of White women and nothing to do with African American women creates a furious reaction that rooted from the historical slave-master relationship where white women obviously has used to oppress and discriminate Black women. Aside from this resistance, resistance or refusal to bond with White women who truly have been keeping their set of goals toward feminism is a different case. This refusal of bonding with the White women can be rooted to the sexist history of the American society, in which, each women of each race see one another as enemies and competitors. Creating this kind of view toward White women often play as a hindrance to feminist bonding, even in situation where white women are truly engaged in feminist advocacies and do not acting in a dominant manner.

Viewing White women as a competitor for job and employment also has evolved throughout time. Many cases which involve employment discrimination illustrate the operation of law and the development of legal theory of the assumptions of race-sex correspondence and difference. Cases which involve Black American women consist primarily of three categories.

The first category involves courts that have considered whether Black women may represent themselves. In various cases, Black women have been denied of their right to assert their discrimination as a subgroup different from Black men and White women. Some cases, deny Black women the right of belongingness to the class which includes White women in a gender discrimination case, on the grounds that they should be represented according to race. Moreover, other cases which involve the African American men in a race discrimination suit are denied based on the argument that they are differing in gender.  These cases have shown the inability of the court to distinguish the interaction of race and gender.

On the other hand, the second category involves the race and gender interaction in determining the limits of the employers ability to condition work on Black women. Several cases have been against black women who have been fired for being pregnant while unmarried if their work involves association with children.

Lastly, the third category involves African American womens physical image. In this category, African American women have been denied of their equal rights for job application in the basis of their physical image. The last two categories do not only involve interaction of race and gender but also of culture.

Conclusion
In a society where men dominate and race is considered a dominant factor in the development, it is evident for a particular group (African American women) to know the positions they are in. With the evidences being shown, African American women are historically engaged in a double jeopardy status, in which, the intersections of gender and race are evident. Race assumed primacy over gender in the analysis of African-American women.