Wimmins’ Supplement Black Women In History By: Jamala MacRae Black History Month is a timetorememberall theBlack people whohavemade,andarestillmaking, significant contributions in the Black community. Black women have fought beside their Black brothers in the struggle for freedom. Had they simply been meek and passive, as was expected of them, we in the Black community would notbewhere we are today. One of the first Black kkeswomen was Sojourner Truth. Born in 1797, she was the first Black woman orator to speak out against slavery. She travelled widely Sroushont New England and _ the mid west on speaking tours, attempting to unite the Black Liberation Movement and the womens’ suffrage movement. She delivered the “Ain’t I a Woman” speech which she delivered at an 1851 women’s convention in Akron, Ohio. Suffering from the disruptive jeers of hostile men arguing that it was ridiculous for women to desire the vote, since they could not even walk over a puddle or get into a carriage without thehelpofaman. In retaliation, Truth exhorted: “Nobody ever helps meintocarraiges or over puddles, or gives me the best place—andain’tIla woman?...lookat myarm! I have ploughedand planted and gathered into barns, and noman could headme—andain’tlawoman? I could work as much and eat as much as a man—when I could get it—and a bear the lash as well! And ain’tla woman? I have born thirteen children, and seen most of ‘em sold into slavery, and when I cried out with my mother’s grief, none but Jesus heard me—and ain’t I a woman?” As the only Black woman attending thatconventior, Sojourner Truth had done what not one of her timid white sisters was capable of doing. And in doing so, she was also able to uncover the racism in the womens’ suffragemovementand the sexism in the Black liberation movement. In 1864, she stayed in Washington, D.C., and worked to improve living conditions for Blacks there. She also helped find jobs and homes for slaves who had escaped from the South to Washington. Although she won no government support, she did set up a proposal to persuade the federal government to set aside undeveloped lands in the West as farms for Blacks. However, the country still was not liberated enough to agree to her plans. Another Black woman to take a stand was Harriett Tubman. Born in 1820, She was the leader of the underground Railroad, transporting hundreds, almost thousands, of runaway slaves to freedom in Canada and some of the freestates. Tubman was nevercaught and never lostaslaveonany of her 19 rescue trips. She carried a gun and threatened to kill anyone who tried to turn back. She believed that if she let a slave turn back, they would tell their master about the underground railroad. Blacks called her Moses, after the Biblical figure who led the Jews from Egypt. In the Civil War, she served as a nurse, scout and spy fortheunion Army inSouthCarolina, freeing more than 750 slaves. After the war, Tubmanreturned toAuburn, where she helped raise money for black schools and establisheda home for elderly and needy blacks, later to become known as the Harriett Tubman Home. She died in 1913. Another prominentspokes woman is Angela Davis. She was activeduring the 1960sandsheplayed a key role in the continuance of the Black Panthers, an organization created by Black people for the protection of Black people. She also spoke in defense of womens’ movements, however many of her Theresa and Wendy-Anne dancing during Multiculturalism Week speeches were aimed towards black and latino women as well as poor white women, in the ghettos. The struggles these women experienced were different different from those of the middle class, white women, who were the ones mostly involved with the women’s suffrage movement and the womens’ movement. Following in her beliefs the words of James Baldwin: “Some of us, white and black , know how great a price has already been paid to bring into existence a new conciousness, a new people, an unprecedented nation. If we know, and do nothing, we are worse than the murders hired in our name. If we know then wemust fight for your life as though it were it were our own— which it is—and render impassible with our bodies the corridor to the gas chamber. For if they take you in SSS ae eee TL ELLLLLULLL LU tk he hee ee Lee es the morning, they will be coming for us that night.” She held the firm belief that one group’soppression. Together we canall win thestrugglebecause united we stand, divided we fail. Angela Davis currently teaches Black studies and women’s studies at Santa Cruz University. Closertohomeis Rosemary Brown,a prominentJamaican,active in the struggle for womenand Blacks in Canada. Born in 1930, Brownleda happy and contented childhood. In 1950, she left Jamaica and moved to Canada where she attended McGill University in Montreal and received her Bachelor of Arts. After moving out to B.C., she then proceeded to become involved in politics, joining the New Democrat Party. She taught women’s studies at SFU and became PHOTO : DAWN AGNO . a member of the BC Legislature for 14 years. She currently sits on the boards of the South African Educational Trust Fund, and Canadian Womens Foundation. She has participated in national and international conferences on peace and human rights. Brown was recently appointed as Executive Director of MATCH International, a development agency which works with women in the third world. All of these women were, and are, powerful advocates of the Black Power movement and the womens’ movement. Without their struggles, their strength , and their determination, Black people and women would notbe where they are today. And it is up to us to continue that struggle until we all gain our freedom. * * * * * What Is A Real Woman? Just Ask Society By: Karen Remple When I was younger, I thought I would find my identity through being ina relationship with a male. The idea that self-identity can be found in relation to another is common in our society; but self in relation to others is not necessarily the same as self. After a series of three long- term relationships, I began to notice I was adapting my self to suit (and therefore keep) the male I was involved with.. I was playing a role in each case, trying to be what I thought the male wanted. After several years I would tire of playing the role, and tire of the falseness playing that role entailed. When this happened I would leave t h e LOOK BABY, IF YoU PLT OFF GETTING YOUR DEGREE THEN WE CAN HAVE CHILDREN RIGHT AWAY. JUST SAY THOSE THREE MAGIC WORDS. SURE,... YOURSELF ! relationship. But I would quickly get lonely, and long to be ina relationship again. So I would put on the make-up and sexy clothes again, in order to attract a man, andthenBAM, there I would be—in a } relationship, playing a role again. Since I had played a role to get the man, and kept playing it to keep him, there never seemed to be a right or A an GO Fuck ¥ ( \' safe time to drop the role and be real in the relationship. Of course this role-playing is largely socially induced. Media images blitz us with ideas of what women are supposed to be like: attractive, sexy, faithful, helpers, submissive, etc. And in our society in general, people are not taught to be real; the whole socialization process from kindergarten upwards is geared to making us conform. Parental units also impose expectations on their children-wanting them to fulfil the parents’ own unrealized dreams or conform to the parents’ value systems. Thereislittleor nosupport for the growing child to develop his or her ownsense of uniqueness /self. Psychological research in the past few decades, particularly the work in object-relations theory pioneered by Margaret Mahler, has revealed newinformationabout how identity is developed. During the psychological maturation/identity formation process, which is mostly completed by age seven, the female child gains sense of identity solely through relations to others; the child is female like mommy, so the child should be like mommy. The child is Sue’s or Bob's sister, Daddy’s girl, Grandma’s pumpkin, etc.—all identity images of selfinrelationship to another. These images combine into a relatively cohesive whole and the female child’s identity is formed. So it is no wonder I was seeking my identity from my relationships with men. It’s what I was taught, all I knew. What then? When tired of the roles, how could I break out of this cycle? HowcouldIlearntobemyself, and be real, in a relationship? Even more fundamentally, how could I find out what my true identity was? It seemed clear to me that the first step was to be by myself for a while. So when the third relationship drew its lastshuddering breathand expired, vowed tospend a year single, to give myself time to find out who I was. Looking back, this was exceedingly optimistic! It hasnow beenalmostthree years since I’ve been in a serious relationship. During that time I have pursued a wide variety of activities, both inner- directed and “in the world,” in an attempt todiscover wholam. Oneof the things I learned (surprise) was thatin this lifetime my goal is to fully realize (ie. become aware of, and develop to full potential) who I am, and that the main means of doing so isthroughmyrelationships withmen. Aha! Maybe! was on the right track allalong! Unfortunately, it’snotquite that simple. My latest attempt at a relationship has shown me I am not quite ready yet. Istillhavea tendency to lose myself ina relationship. I get so caught up with the relationship that forget what is important to me. Iforgetaboutmy personaland career- related goals, and focus totally on the relationship. In fact, I suspect] tend to use the relationship as a means of relief from worrying about all those goals—but that’s another story. So I believe the time has not quite arrived yet—or has it? Perhaps the answer lies in how ]am being ina relationship, not whether I am in a relationship. Perhaps it is possible to be involved in a relationship in a real way, yet allow myself space away from the relationship periodically, to check in and get in touch with myself. This space may allow me to regain my perspective of who I am, apart from therelationship,and tointegrate what I have learned about myself from being in the relationship. Then each time I will return to the relationship witha renewed sense of self, and the relationship will be more satisfying for me and the other because of it. This solution requires a special kind ofman: one whobelieves that a relationship is a place for growth,and that the two partnersare in the relationship to support each other’s growth; one who can handle periods of separation;one who wants tobe real, and wants his partner tobe real also. Is this possible? Does this manexist? For my sake, and the sake of women everywhere, I hope the answer is yes. * * * * *