loving but not smothering; and the list of opposites can go on. Being a woman means you are there to nurture, you are automatically a support for people. Women are expected to help, to listen, to provide. It 's like we can 't be assertive and be gentle; there has to be more of the "softer" trait (BW059, age 23).
BW221 (age 39) adds to this by stating, being woman as “a series of contradictions. Being smart is seen as being aggressive. Being direct is seen as being rude.”
Intersectionality of Blackness and womanhood. The contradictions of womanhood may be fueled by women’s inability to disentangle their Blackness and womanhood. Though a less endorsed response, women did acknowledge how separating Blackness from womanhood was a challenge. …show more content…
It is apparent that the history of Black women is distinct from that of Black men and women of other races. BW079 (age 30) spoke to this reality as she descried Black womanhood as “being able to identify with the struggles and successes that Black women have dealt with in the past.” While some women focused on the shared history of oppression, others focused on commonalities in culture: “For me it means we are of a strong group of women. I love being Black and coming from a culture of such strong women” (BW208, age 42). Black women reflected on their shared history and culture with much reverence. They described Black womanhood as being a member of a group of women who “have been historically strong” (BW238, age 41) and have a “strong heritage of community, creativity and resiliency” (BW225, age 42). Others added to this interpretation by sharing how this history informs their worldview. For instance, BW127 (age 26) …show more content…
The characteristics women used to describe Black womanhood do not differ drastically from those used to describe Blackness and womanhood. Among the women who described themselves solely in terms of characteristics, the words strong (n = 23), powerful (n = 8), and resilient (n = 6) were used multiple times and often together (e.g., BW064 (age 25) – being a Black woman means being “a person of resilience and faith”). Others described themselves similarly, but introduced additional adjectives. For instance, BW002 (age 26) describes Black womanhood as being, “hardworking, oppressed, authentic, caregiver, and a trailblazer.” Of note is the fact that multiple women combined some of the most common adjectives used to describe Blackness (e.g., strong, resilient, pride/proud) and womanhood (e.g., nurturing, loving, and sensitive) in their responses regarding Black womanhood. For example, BW041 (age 32) states, “It means the combination of the two above statements. I am a powerful, resilient, loving, creative, beautiful, strong, nurturing presence in the world.” For one Black woman (BW109, age 26) adopting characteristics both aligned with Blackness and womanhood facilitated her fluidity in many spaces:
Being a Black woman means that I know I have the strength and the will to do things on my own. . .The Black women I am surrounded by have instilled in me a diligence and a sense of perseverance that cannot be matched. Being a Black woman means that I can be as hard as
BW221 (age 39) adds to this by stating, being woman as “a series of contradictions. Being smart is seen as being aggressive. Being direct is seen as being rude.”
Intersectionality of Blackness and womanhood. The contradictions of womanhood may be fueled by women’s inability to disentangle their Blackness and womanhood. Though a less endorsed response, women did acknowledge how separating Blackness from womanhood was a challenge. …show more content…
It is apparent that the history of Black women is distinct from that of Black men and women of other races. BW079 (age 30) spoke to this reality as she descried Black womanhood as “being able to identify with the struggles and successes that Black women have dealt with in the past.” While some women focused on the shared history of oppression, others focused on commonalities in culture: “For me it means we are of a strong group of women. I love being Black and coming from a culture of such strong women” (BW208, age 42). Black women reflected on their shared history and culture with much reverence. They described Black womanhood as being a member of a group of women who “have been historically strong” (BW238, age 41) and have a “strong heritage of community, creativity and resiliency” (BW225, age 42). Others added to this interpretation by sharing how this history informs their worldview. For instance, BW127 (age 26) …show more content…
The characteristics women used to describe Black womanhood do not differ drastically from those used to describe Blackness and womanhood. Among the women who described themselves solely in terms of characteristics, the words strong (n = 23), powerful (n = 8), and resilient (n = 6) were used multiple times and often together (e.g., BW064 (age 25) – being a Black woman means being “a person of resilience and faith”). Others described themselves similarly, but introduced additional adjectives. For instance, BW002 (age 26) describes Black womanhood as being, “hardworking, oppressed, authentic, caregiver, and a trailblazer.” Of note is the fact that multiple women combined some of the most common adjectives used to describe Blackness (e.g., strong, resilient, pride/proud) and womanhood (e.g., nurturing, loving, and sensitive) in their responses regarding Black womanhood. For example, BW041 (age 32) states, “It means the combination of the two above statements. I am a powerful, resilient, loving, creative, beautiful, strong, nurturing presence in the world.” For one Black woman (BW109, age 26) adopting characteristics both aligned with Blackness and womanhood facilitated her fluidity in many spaces:
Being a Black woman means that I know I have the strength and the will to do things on my own. . .The Black women I am surrounded by have instilled in me a diligence and a sense of perseverance that cannot be matched. Being a Black woman means that I can be as hard as