Introduction
Black liberalism, feminism, and reparations are concepts that result from the oppression faced by the black race, consequently creating the need for change. As such, black liberation, feminism, and reparations are reconstructed by Kelley as negotiated concepts to understand the challenging textual and cultural meanings between their aesthetic and ideological impacts (Kelley 136). The reconstruction of black feminism, liberation, and reparations seeks to redefine blackness and give the black race dignity because, for years, the black race has lived under oppression and marginalization, which has distorted the image of blackness (Kelley 133).
Black liberation has endured long, distressed negotiations with white culture. The black experience, cultural and historical awareness of black liberation, black feminism, and black reparations are historical and cultural forms of oppression. Kelley’s Freedom Dreams is a collective history of black radical imagination and utilizes black liberation, reparations, and black feminism to describe black people’s radical experiences in a white-dominated society.
Black Liberation
Black liberation reconstructs the experience and hardships of the black race. It recognizes that blacks have been pushed to limits by their white oppressors. The social racialization of white supremacy strips black blackness of its humanity (Kelley 136).
Black liberalization aims to acknowledge black pain that has always been denied for years. Kelley’s reconstruction of black liberation heightens black agency and obstructs the perpetual dehumanization of blackness. The reconstruction of black liberation reproduces black advantages that have been suppressed throughout history to guarantee racial equality and promote the sanctity of black lives while enhancing the appreciation of blackness (Kelley 28). Kelley opposes anti-black racism in all forms to guarantee the economic, social, and political development of the black race globally. Black liberation focuses on building black humanity, maximizing the individual and collective liberties of black people across the globe.
Black Feminism
Black feminism stands for improving black women’s lives, whether transgender, genderqueer, or cisgender. It draws attention to black women’s suffering over the years to position the issue on the right platform for debate. The fundamental goal is to realize respect for black people across the globe.
The black race has faced significant challenges, with women being the most affected because of the problem with intersectionality – being black while a woman. The reconstruction of black feminism addresses the challenges of intersectionalism, where black women find themselves faced with more challenges because of the problem of intersectionalism, where they suffer from being black and from being women (Kelley 132). Black women have suffered more than their black counterparts because of the problem of inter-sectionalism.
Additionally, the law has failed to recognize their plight because intersectionalism is not defined in law. The problem of inter-sectionalism thus remains undefined, and when a problem is not defined, it implies that it is not known. By acknowledging the plight of black women, black feminist helps reconstruct the value of the black woman in society. It gives black women’s lives and issues significance to change their societal standing.
The reconstruction of black feminism gives black women equal significance and advocates for equal treatment before the law. It, therefore, calls for the rejection of structural racism and advocates for women’s right to have control over their bodies. The bottom line is that black feminism condemns all forms of violence against all women.
Black feminism is also against Eurocentric beauty standards, which demean black women to promote the status of their white counterparts. On most occasions, black women had been made to believe that they had no value in society. In most cases, they were devalued before those of the white race. Historically, the black woman was hyper-sexualized, which caused excessive sexual violence and the objectification of black women’s bodies for entertainment.
Black Reparations
The reconstruction of black reparations focuses on restoring the dignity of the black person after several decades of oppression, economic sabotage, and isolation. Central to the idea of the American dream lies the assumption that all have equal rights and opportunities and enjoy the pursuit of happiness as enshrined in the American Constitution. The American dream holds that a person can achieve their dreams and attain their goals in life (Kelley 120). However, that has not been the case with black people. Black men and women have been at a disadvantage to an extent wherein, in the current society, the family of a white family owns over ten times what a black family owns.
White college graduates have about seven times more than black college graduates. Overall, the black race has been treated negatively for years, resulting in the vast wealth gap between the two races. Black reparations, therefore, seek to restore the equitable distribution of resources. The black race has suffered atrocities in American society, leading to their poor state. However, through black reparations, blacks are encouraged to seek fair representation.
At the same time, the American dream postulates that hard work can guarantee success in the US. A black person cannot quickly close the wealth gap between them and whites (Kelley 126). Therefore, equity that can guarantee equality among the races can be realized through resource distribution, which considers all the vital elements capable of improving the lives of blacks. The racial disparities in wealth demonstrate the fallacies in the American dream, which thus necessitate the black reparations to address the financial and social consequences of segregation.
Black Pluralism
Black pluralism is the next step in the development of black political thought. Some events worldwide have provoked deepening inequalities in recent months, causing a significant rise in social unrest. For instance, the recent killing of George Floyd ensured widespread demonstrations, resulting in police brutality against protestors. These events have led individuals and institutions to reflect deeply on the best way forward in addressing the issues of racial prejudice. Black pluralism stands out as one of the best ways to address racism and cultivate black political thought because there are multiple ways people are marked as different. These include religion, language, gender, age, sexual orientation, and race.
Inequalities occur along these lines in most cases. Therefore, pluralism can effectively avoid these differences because it asserts that every person must be treated fairly and respectfully. Through the pluralistic approach, the various inequalities can be addressed. In modern society, multiple differences exist between people and communities. If these differences are not addressed, there is the possibility of more cracks emerging in society. Therefore, building pluralism can ensure that change happens and that existing differences are not magnified.
Conclusion
Black reparations, black feminism, and black liberation all focus on restoring the dignity of the black person. Black feminism, for instance, focuses on restoring the dignity of the African woman who has suffered indignity for centuries at the hands of white supremacists. The black woman has been molested, faced all forms of oppression, and used as an object for entertainment. Therefore, the reconstruction of black feminism restores the black woman’s identity and social, economic, and political standing. It demands respect for the black woman while advocating for her economic liberation. Black reparations seek the economic restoration of the black community by advocating for economic reparations for the black race’s oppression throughout history.
Lastly, black liberation heightens the political assertiveness of the black community. Reconstruction of the liberations supports the demand for economic means for black people to support themselves. It also fosters the empowerment of blacks in their communities to make them as competitive as whites. Blacks have had limited options, leaving many of them without a source of livelihood. Therefore, they are encouraged to live independent lives free from oppression and economic misfortunes by encouraging black liberation.
Work Cited
Kelley, Robin DG. Freedom Dreams: The Black Radical Imagination. Beacon Press, 2002.