Womanism 's Birth out of the Need for Intersectionality What does one do when one 's identity is forced to be divided, or blatantly ignored? From early on in American History, American Black women have never been included with women, but never included with Black people. After being marginalized in movements that were dedicated to only parts of their identities, a new, intersectional movement was created, womanism or black feminism. Black Feminism and Womanism were created out of the need for intersectionality, and the constant marginalization within the Black liberation movement and Women’s Liberation. African American women always fit in differently in American society from their black male and white woman counterparts. These differences
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The largest issues of the Black Liberation Movement were hypermasculinity, abuse and rampant misogyny. Hypermasculinity is one of the most destructive effects of slavery and racism, Babamiri acknowledges that “black men received oppression from the side of white supremacy then they took it out on black women, moreover, black men as their white masters manipulate their masculine power in mistreating not only themselves but also black women” (Babamiri). The author explains how the sexism Black women face is Black men trying to build a sense of power or more importantly masculinity. While they try to build themselves, they lash out against Black women and completely look over their double burden of sexism and racism, both of which work together. Hypermasculinity served as one of the main reasons for the overt sexism present in the Black Liberation movement the author states, “Freedom was equated with manhood and the freedom of blacks with the redemption of black masculinity… the assumption that racism is more harmful to black men than it is to black women because the real tragedy of racism is the loss of manhood” (Vol.9.1 ). Not only was this assumption extremely cissesxist, and ignorant but it also denied the fact that Black women feel the harsh effects of racism and oppression. Yet again Black women are met with difficult decision of staying within a movement that denies part of their identity and for the most part are active oppressors. There was an urgent need for a movement that addressed the complicated oppression Black women
The largest issues of the Black Liberation Movement were hypermasculinity, abuse and rampant misogyny. Hypermasculinity is one of the most destructive effects of slavery and racism, Babamiri acknowledges that “black men received oppression from the side of white supremacy then they took it out on black women, moreover, black men as their white masters manipulate their masculine power in mistreating not only themselves but also black women” (Babamiri). The author explains how the sexism Black women face is Black men trying to build a sense of power or more importantly masculinity. While they try to build themselves, they lash out against Black women and completely look over their double burden of sexism and racism, both of which work together. Hypermasculinity served as one of the main reasons for the overt sexism present in the Black Liberation movement the author states, “Freedom was equated with manhood and the freedom of blacks with the redemption of black masculinity… the assumption that racism is more harmful to black men than it is to black women because the real tragedy of racism is the loss of manhood” (Vol.9.1 ). Not only was this assumption extremely cissesxist, and ignorant but it also denied the fact that Black women feel the harsh effects of racism and oppression. Yet again Black women are met with difficult decision of staying within a movement that denies part of their identity and for the most part are active oppressors. There was an urgent need for a movement that addressed the complicated oppression Black women