Introduction
In the recent past, scholars and historians have focused commendable attention on the activities of Afro-Americans in the United States that led to their liberation.
Historians have thus produced numerous analyses of civil rights organizations, history of the intellectual aspects of the liberation thoughts of the black Americans, biographies of people who played key roles in fighting for civil rights, like Malcolm X, Dr. King, etcetera, and even various studies of parties like the Black Panther Party, that key roles in the fight for black freedom.
However, one key aspect of the black freedom movement lacks in these studies. This aspect is the great role that was played by women in the black freedom movement. This paper is an in-depth exploration of the oft-neglected role of women in the fight for black freedom in the post-war period.
Evidence of women’s involvement in struggle for black freedom
Although most of them have been left out of historical books, and thus their names are not popular among the masses, there is overwhelming evidence of the involvement of black women in the fight for black freedom.
One such evidence is the historical images captured during the worst protests that took place during the civil rights activism that led to the freedom of the blacks. In such images where protesters are manhandled by the police, there are girls and women everywhere. This, therefore, shows that women were actively involved in the struggle for black freedom. An example of such images is an image captured in 1964, in which Vera Piggy is talking about voter registration to her audience while styling her hair.
There is also an image captured in 1963, in which black students of the Florida A & M University are answering charges related to protests they participated in against segregation in movie theaters. Most of the students in the group are female. Women activists like Rosa Parks took the lead in the protests against discriminatory practices like the giving of a seat to white men in buses (Charlayne, 2008).
Reasons for unpopularity of women activists
Despite the fact that the role of women in the fight for racial equality is slowly being recognized, history has neglected these people who fought so hard to make our nation what it is today due to the nature of roles they played in the fight for black freedom.
One main reason for the lack of popularity of women in the black freedom period is the fact that the roles of women in the movement forced most of them to stay in the background. Many women chose this role, while others failed to get chances because their male counterparts in the fight for black freedom were the first to be given opportunities at popularity.
For instance, there were a number of cases in which female activists sought to deliver speeches but they did not get the chance because such speeches were dominated by their fellow black males (Elaine, 1992). It can thus be argued that the black women suffered double discrimination; both sexism and racism.
Examples of women who are not widely mentioned
Some female civil rightsactivists simply miss out, or they are scarcely mentioned in historical articles and books. Such women include Rosa Parks, a brave woman who ignited protests against the discriminatory giving of seats to whites in buses, Dorothy Height, who was always in the front line in protests for black freedom, Kathleen Cleaver, an influential scholar who was previously a revolutionary, and Sonia Sanchez, who was also an influential scholar and civil rights activist.
Other women who participated in the struggle for black freedom include Harriet Tubman, who defied prevailing discriminatory laws to operate the Underground Railroad, Mary Terrel, an advocate for black freedom, and a civil activist who was the reason why Washington hotels finally gave in to allowing black people to use their services.
Watkins Harper, whose poetry was instrumental in sparking activism, Ida Wells, who was an investigative journalist, and who took a key role in talking against, and exposing the inhumanity in the lynching of people (Cole, 2003).
Women who are widely mentioned in history
Some women activists got the chance to get into books of history. These were mostly the wives of the most visible male activists. Such women include Betty Shabazz, Coretta Scott King, and Myrlie Evers Williams. This is because they got the chance to be always on the front line in protests, speeches, and social gatherings as they accompanied their husbands.
They were also civil rights activists in their own right, which made them be immortalized in books of history. Coretta Scott King, a civil rights activist, leader and also an author, was the wife of the renowned Dr. King (Martin Luther). Her husband was widely known for his hope and the civil rights speeches that he delivered across America while defending the blacks.
One of his most famous speeches was the proverbial “I have a dream” speech. Betty Shabazz, also a civil rights activist, was the wife of Malcolm X, the renowned civil rights activist who believed in nationalism and preached the use of violence to overcome violence. Malcolm X’s work seemed to complement the work of Martin Luther (Dr. King) because the latter believed in peaceful protests while the former activist was not afraid to call for violent protests against the injustices that were perpetrated against the blacks.
After Malcolm X was assassinated in her presence, Betty continued his legacy of fighting for the rights of black people, while raising her six children, and at the same time advancing her studies to get a PhD. She was viewed by the black freedom generation as the epitome of perseverance. For living a productive life after her husband’s death, and continuing his fight for black freedom, Betty made her way into books of history.
Myrlie Evers Williams was the wife of the civil activist Medgar Evers who was slain after signs of his struggle for black freedom started bearing fruit. He was an activist for voting rights for blacks, and he was also a renowned civil rights activist. After the death of her husband, Myrlie became a great civil rights activist, and even went forward to become the chairperson of the NAACP, an organization that she saved from bankruptcy.
Her success in civil rights and her subsequent popularity in the history of black freedom were due to the activism that she practiced after the death of her husband (Lollar, 2009). A couple of years after the death of her husband, Myrlie married her second husband, Walter Williams, who was also a civil rights activist.
Conclusion
Black women, of the black movement period, played key roles in the emancipation of black Americans. They were caretakers for various civil rights movements, during which they acted as community builders. They were also very active in forming networks for fighting for the rights of black people.
It is unquestionable that black women of the black revolution period were tireless workers, central figures in civil rights groups, outspoken voices in campaigns and rallies for fighting for rights of the black people, and thus they were very active as members of the Black Nationalist movements that were created and engineered by their male counterparts like Malcolm X. Other black women nationalists even extended their anti-imperialist activism to third world countries in Africa, and Asia.
Such third world countries include China, Algeria, Ghana, and a number of other third world countries. Examples of the stated activists include Shirley Graham Du Bois, a very influential figure in the Black Nationalist movements, and Garvin (Charlayne, 2008). Their activism in civil rights made a lot of people gain freedom from bondage by imperialist governments. It is thus evident that the black freedom movement had far-reaching liberalizing effects on the oppressed and the enslaved.
It is very unfortunate that the acts of these brave women have been virtually left out of the history of black freedom. Historical records are full of the activist activities of their male counterparts like Malcolm X and his friend, Martin Luther King Jr. (Dr. King). It is thus of essence that a nuanced approach to the preservation of historical facts is followed. Scholars should also work to establish the extent to which black women contributed to the freedom of black people during this period.
Reference List
Charlayne, H. (2008). Black Women Freedom Fighters: History Lived, Lessons Learned. Web.
Cole, J. (2003). Gender Talk: The Struggle for Women’s Equality in African American Communities. New York. Ballantine Books.
Elaine, B. (1992). A Taste of Power: A Black Women’s Story. New York. Pantheon Books.
Lollar, M. (2009). Husband’s death turns Evers-Williams into champion of social justice. Web.