(1977) “The Combahee River Collective Statement”
Key Words: Feminism, Identity, Race
The reading about ” The Combahee River Collective Statement” explains about how most black women went through certain obstacles during that time in order to have justice, “Afro- American women’s continuous life and death struggle for survival and liberation”. This emphasizes of how black women are treated poorly in the political system. Yes, they faced a lot through feminism but endured harsh sufferings in order to have Women’s rights.
Age, Race, Class, and Sex: Women Redefining Difference
In this reading of “Age, Race, Class, and Sex: Women Redefining Difference” Lorde thinks that women are sperated by their color mostly than just by their sex. “As white women ignore their built-in privelege of whiteness and define women in terms of their own experience alone, then women of Color become “other,” the outsider who experience and tradition is too “alien: to comprehend”.
Solange (2016), “Don’t Touch My Hair” lyrics
The music by Solange may sing about “Don’t Touch My Hair” throughout the entire song, but that is not the only part it is directing towards. One our hair is defined as our crown and what makes up our identity. But, this song is towards women of color because afro hair tells a story from past generations from styles of braids, locs, and weaves. A lyric that stood out to me the most was this saying “Don’t test my mouth; they say truth is in my sound.” Meaning that many black women have been ignored for a long time for their women’s rights. Mouths is the sound for others to hear them and understand their pain and hardships they faced in order change to happen.
Questions:
While reading these texts and listening to the videos that were given, which one of them interest you the most?
What other songs or poems that you know relate towards black feminism and what do they mean to you?
I really liked the game that was in this weeks readings/ videos and then reading “Age,Race, Class and Sex: Women Redefining Difference.”
Hi. I loved all of the songs. I was quite familiar with Tupac. This was my first time listening to Don’t Touch My Hair and Four Women. I think I was most intrigued by Nina Simone’s Four Women. I could visualize her lyrics.
After this week’s readings and assignments, I will probably view so many songs differently. I take this question as a challenge because I know there are so many out there.
I felt excited seeing that Solange was a part of this week’s content. All of her songs carry a message. The title of her album that features the song “Don’t Touch My Hair” is “A Seat at The Table”. Which is something black people have to fight for every day of their lives. All of the songs on the album are rhythmic and powerful. My favorite song on the album is “Mad”. I love that it features Lil Wayne, but it also speaks on how we have the right to be upset. The injustice that people of color face – is real. It hurts to the point that we have the right to be mad, and that madness fuels us to work harder so that hopefully a change is made.
I feel that Four Women by Nina Simone interested me the most, as it described four radically different experiences on how black women face and have faced oppression under America’s political system. The song felt powerful, and Nina Simone is a wonderful musician and composer- she was able to very effectively communicate the feeling behind these stories and the women she was speaking of.