Voices of Our Foremothers

In “Voices of Our Foremothers: Celebrating the Legacy of African-American Women Educators”, author Sunny-Marie Birney describes the impact that female African American professors have had on her life. She grew up in an environment devoid of her African American roots due to being adopted at the young age of two years old. Birney felt out of place until she entered the College of Wooster. Because she majored in Psychology and Black Studies, her journey into her blackhood began. She was even enlightened enough through her studies that she decided to become a teacher.

What Birney enjoyed most about her college professors was the amount of commitment they exemplified in their teaching. In addition, she appreciated that they actually cared about her as a human being, not just as a student in their classroom. Birney stated “My teachers filled a void I had searched to fill all of my life” (51). She believed that her professors treated her as if she was one of their children instead of merely a student. Also, Birney examines how certain African American women have paved the way for many generations of younger African American women to receive a quality education by creating Sabbath schools and Historically Black Colleges and Universities. It was at these institutions that African American students could receive information about their culture, community, in addition to a standard educational experience. Birney believed that a combination of all of these aspects allowed her to receive the most of her education and that it was important to continue to pass this educational experience from generation to generation.

I agree that having female African American teachers changes the atmosphere of the classroom. Generally it becomes a more caring environment that is less stressful and allows you to engage more as a student in relation to other classrooms where a African American woman is not the professor. I enjoy the experience and it does cause me to work harder and generally achieve higher grades. This experience is important for every generation to experience because it has the potential to bring out the best in every student. However, I do not believe that this experience should just be limited to African American women that are teachers. I have had several male teachers, both African American and Caucasian, that have caused me to have similar experiences in the classroom. Thus, only women do not possess this quality. Men and other races can bring out the best in students also.

Unearthing Hidden Literacy

In the story “Unearthing Hidden Literacy: Seven Lessons Learned in a Cotton Field,” author Lillie Gayle Smith reflects on her time in the cotton field when she was a young girl. She describes how embarrassed she was to talk about what she and her family did to her graduate class because she to her, “it was a job my people inherited from slavery – the bitter legacy that continues to haunt all Americans, especially those who are African American” (Smith 38). The only time she revealed her past to her classmates was when she was bragging about how far she had come from picking cotton in the fields. It wasn’t until Smith enrolled into a “Black Women’s Literacy” class that she began to finally appreciate her past and actually felt she learned something from being in the fields. Smith concludes her passage by explaining the impact of attending the class she was in and picking the cotton. What she though was an embarrassment actually turned out to be a life lesson that she subconsciously carried with her through all her years.
I really enjoyed reading this story because it gave me a chance to evaluate all of my life experiences and see them in a different light. I am never the type to take an opportunity or life changing event for granted. I am I strong believer of the quote “Everything happens for a reason.” The most interesting part of this story was when Smith talked about the white male teacher. She explained that the teacher would ask one of the male students a question and whatever their answer was it was gold. If he asked a female student a question, he would go to the male student for verification of the females answer. This goes to show that sexism is not non-existent in the world and it is more evident in some environments than others. It’s up to the victim to stand up for themselves and fight for what they know is right.

Bridging the Gap

In “Lessons From Down Under: Reflections on Meanings of Literacy and Knowledge From an African-American Female Growing Up in Rural Alabama,” Dr. Bessie House-Soremekun explains the history of literacy in regards to African-Americans and how it relates to the experiences she has had. She discusses how the Civil Rights movement made a great impact on the literacy of Blacks in America, but how Whites still found a way to keep them oppressed. Many of the predominantly Black schools during the Civil Rights movement did not have the same resources as White schools when it came to books. In addition, the history of African-Americans was largely excluded from all textbooks. Dr. House-Soremekun believes that this was a way in which Whites made sure that Blacks remained invisible and nameless. She also describes how she grew up during the time when many unwritten societal rules were largely executed. For example, Blacks were expected to address Whites as Mr. and Mrs. regardless of their age; however, the same respect was not given to Blacks. Dr. House-Soremekun states that this tactic was implemented by Whites in an effort to maintain distance between Blacks and themselves. All of these actions led to a decrease in the self-esteem of African-Americans.

Due to these experiences, Dr. House-Soremekun decided to use education as a means to seek amends for her grandmother by making sure that Whites would have to address her with respect. Dr. Bessie House-Soremekun graduated at the top of her class from Huntington College and continued to pursue a PhD at the University of Denver. Throughout her education, she experienced many compliments that were both uplifting and demeaning. Her professors would make statements that alluded to her superb scholastic abilities, but would counteract them by categorizing her into a race. Though racism and discrimination has gotten better, it still occurs today. Blacks still do not receive the respect that they deserve when in an audience mixed where Blacks and Whites are present; however, individuals like Dr. House-Soremekun help to bridge the gap between the Black and White races.

Pimps, Whores, and Welfare Brats

In the article “Pimps, Whores, and Welfare Brats,” by Star Parker, she talks about the different groups in society that have contributed to welfare. The pimps are the “government socialists who believe man is basically good, but has a few character flaws that can be corrected with a little help from Big Brother.” These people have little faith that blacks are smart enough or independent enough to make it on their own without the governments help. The whores were blacks who were backing up the pimps so they can get paid. The welfare brats were the individuals who made basically lived off the government. They have decided not to get a job and to take advantage of all the government has to offer. The article goes on to talk about the “most destructive special interest group on the American legal scene today” which is the ACLU. This group is allowing behavior that should otherwise be banned. An example is allowing children to refuse to say the pledge of allegiance in school and the selling of pornography.

The most interesting thing in this article to me is the talk about abortion. I had no idea that some states were allowing teens under the age of 18 get an abortion without their parents’ consent. I agree with the author. This defeats the whole purpose of having parents. When a female is pregnant, it is their responsibility to tell their parents even if they are afraid of how they may react. The teen is endangering her health and well being by going to get an abortion without her parents’ consent. I am 100% against abortion. I feel there are other ways to go about things if you truly do not want the child. Terminating a pregnancy because you are afraid and you feel as if you’re not ready is not an excuse to me. Being responsible from the very beginning can eliminate all of this.

Black and on Welfare: What You Don't Know About Single-Parent Women

In the article titled “Black and on Welfare: What You Don’t Know About Single-Parent Women” by Sandra Golden, she talks about the many struggles black women must face while seeking help from the government. She talked about her own experience walking into the welfare office and how she felt dehumanized, humiliated, and mentally abused because of the caseworker’s discriminatory attitude and insensitivity. According to the author, “it seemed the assumption that welfare recipients were unmotivated, unskilled, uneducated or undereducated, and responsible for bringing fatherless children into the world” (Golden 27) She goes on to explain the misconception that black women are not interested in holding a job and being able to provide for their family and prefer to stay at home. In 1999, Golden designed focus groups that brought different women together whose ages ranged from 18 to 40. Here they discussed their issues and concerns regarding the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act. Most of the women that participated in these focus groups all game to a mutual agreement that their self-sufficiency coaches (SSCs) treated them like they were stupid. Each woman also expressed that they felt “…their SSC was in control of their financial situation” (Golden 30). Women who were interested in getting a job through the federally funded training programs did not get placed in a job based on their skill level. Because the government was so anxious to place these women in the working force, they were placed in fast-food restaurants, nursing homes, hotels, cleaning services, and clerical positions. These jobs typically focused on hiring women, had poor salaries, and offered little to no benefits.

I found this article interesting to read. It was odd to me that the individuals who signed up for the job of helping women would treat them the way they did. SSCs believed that the African American women who came into the welfare office were illiterate and dumb because she may not have finished high school. In my opinion, the women who went to the SSCs office were very smart. “Although the women in the study did not have high academic literacy levels, they undoubtedly had achieved other forms of literacy based on their social contexts such as workplace, community and home” (Golden 31). The women going into the SSCs office knew that if they responded in a negative way to them, they would lose their benefits. They played smart and put up with a little degrading so they could provide for their families. Being book smart is not the only way to be considered literate.

How Culture Plays a Role in Literacy

In the article entitled "Dysfunctional Literacies of Exclusion: An Exploration of the Burdens of Literacy in Tsitsi Dangarembga’s Nervous Conditions" written by Mandi Chikombero, the negative aspects of literacy are explored. More specifically Chikombero describes the differences in traditional and cultural literacy in Rhodesia and how each affects women in the book Nervous Conditions written by Tsitsi Dangarembga. Traditional literacy focuses on traditional sociocultural values observed by a particular group of people. On the other hand, cultural literacy is more modern and academic oriented. In Nervous Conditions, all of the female characters struggled with either one or both of these literacies. Women that were educated were treated as if they were nothing but a housewife, as if their education meant nothing. This created immense unhappiness. Meanwhile, women that were not educated were treated the same way, but were content with those conditions. They had been taught from an early age that it was their duty to reproduce, plant food for their families, and be passive. The main character, Tambu, was not satisfied with the low expectations of women and wanted to be educated even though she grew up in the same traditional environment. However, educated women were not as easily accepted as those who were uneducated and her parents did not approve of her going to school. Tambu was neither fully traditionally nor culturally literate. She had a combination of both literacies.

This article made me question how many young women there are in countries like Rhodesia that aspire to be more than a home maker and mother. It saddens me that they do not have the opportunity to do so without being considered an outcast from their community. They do not have the access to education and jobs like American women do. I believe that many American women do not take advantage of all of the opportunities available because they do not realize how important they are. Simply having the ability to decide who and when they want to marry is a choice not given to many women around the world and American women often take it for granted. Rhodesian women have their mates chosen for them at an early age. If it is not arranged, they will be considered a whore. This is not true in America and all women should appreciate the many options we have in our country compared to other, less fortunate women around the world.

The Phases of Feminism

E. Yvette Walters, author of Women and Literacy in Alice Walker’s The Color Purple, describes the different types of feminism and the focus of each feministic group. She allows the reader to see how this information can be used to create five categories in which women can assess themselves and reality. The first category is silence. A woman in silence does not speak up for herself or view herself as a learner. Walters relates this to several instances in The Color Purple, when Celie dealt with devastating situations because she did not voice her opinion. Even when other women around her gave their input, Celie continued to put up with Mr. _____ and the problems he put her through because she believed that as long as she was alive, she was ok. Another category described was related to the knowledge received by a woman. Women in this stage of knowing typically understand how important language is, but do not possess confidence in their ability to verbalize it. These women rely on the information obtained by others and use it as validation on every aspect of their lives. An example that Walters gave of this was when she explained how Celie stated that she was not dumb. Celie did not believe this because of the information that she knew about herself, but because her sister Nettie told her that she was smart.

The quest for self was another category used to describe a stage of knowing in which women are obsessed with either choosing or losing themselves. They have created boundaries for themselves and others as well as generalized negative attitudes towards specific groups of people. The author makes a reference to the point in The Color Purple when Celie begins to become very pessimistic about God and adds him to the generalization that she has already created towards men. On the other hand, women in the voice of reason stage are very careful to make informed and carefully planned decisions. They form opinions and analyze situations. The point of the book in which Celie possesses this type of knowing is when she decided that she needed God even though he appeared not to treat her favorably during her life. Last is the stage of integrating the voices. During this stage, women reclaim themselves due to the knowledge gained from their inner selves and others. Celie shows this when she states that she is satisfied being by herself. She does not need anyone to validate her or to make her happy.

Can a woman go through these stages cyclically? “In life and literature, women cycle through recursive phases of knowing” (144). I believe that going through phases of literacy is important for a woman to mature. There are times in which learning is important and certain stages allow for that more than others. However, there are times when it is vital for a woman to stand up for herself and her beliefs. The first stages of knowing probably occur during times when women are unacknowledged in certain situations whereas the last stages occur more when women have been exposed to predicaments prior to actually being in them. Either way, these stages create growth and maturity. Women should not continuously go through this cycle for the same problem, it should be a learning process.