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.

Transformative College Literacy of Literate Black Women Peer Counselors

In 1997, Robin Wisniewski created a peer counseling program that provided literacy support for college students with disabilities, from low income backgrounds, and in the first generation in their family to attend college. Peer counselors would assist between 80 and 100 students per semester with implementing new strategies for studying, textbook reading, note taking, test anxiety, stress, career exploration, and many others. The way the peer counselors taught and their way of thinking completely transformed Wisniewski.

The story focuses on two African American females Lauryn and Vania. These two young ladies were from very different backgrounds. Lauryn grew up in a more urban setting where she went to a high school with a 99.9 percent African American population whereas Vania went to a predominately white school where the only black kids there were most likely one of her family members. When asked how they felt about being part of the peer counseling program, Lauryn said “The Peer Counseling Program is more like the culture of a family setting in high school. There’s no separation. There’s not anybody that I don’t get along with…” (Wisniewski 75). Vania replied with a description of the characteristics of the peer counselors stating that “the people who come to this program are all open-minded, people who probably generally get along with a lot of people anyway, who probably care about people or who have those types of supportive personalities.” (Wisniewski 75). Everyone who was a part of this group was aiming toward a common goal. To make people aware that literacy means much more than knowing how to read.

I really enjoyed this reading because it gave two different perspectives of two different African American females. Both grew up in different backgrounds, yet they were able to come together and share their experiences growing up to younger college students. Despite the two of them being stereotypes and generalized because of their race, they still were able to look past that and continue on to what they wished to achieve by being a part of this wonderful organization.

How We Are Portrayed In Film

Joanne Kilgour Dowdy explains how black women that are cast in lead roles typically play a character that is ultimately demeaning to them in her article Reel Women: Black Women and Literacy in Feature Films. They play roles such as addicts, caretakers, and housekeepers. These characters are always depicted as undereducated or submissive. Writers of such movies are creative enough to show these images to the world without much analysis from those without knowledge of this concept. Many people do not realize how detrimental these images are to the Black community. Some believe that the way Black women are shown in movies dictates how they are in reality. The few female African American characters in movies that are intelligent have supporting roles. Therefore, these are not the images that stand out to movie viewers.

What happens when these images are taken as an insight into Black culture? Other ethnicities begin to feel as though Blacks are inferior and incapable of being highly successful without the help of others. This is why there is such surprise when others see African Americans excelling in school and in their careers. These are the images that young, Black women have been seeing since slavery and they are still widely produced. For some, it is the only image they see of themselves. They believe that it is ok to replicate the actions of a fictional character created by a Caucasian writer to depict typical African American behavior. This will continue to be a problem until more Black female writers emerge and attempt to counterbalance this act by producing more positive images for Blacks to identify with and circulating them around the world.

Going Against the Grain

It has always been a struggle for African Americans, particularly African American females, to prove themselves in the world. We have to work twice as hard as the white people to get a good job, maintain that job, and most importantly gain the respect earned from colleagues in the work force. In the article "Going Against the Grain," there is talk about many unsuccessful attempts by black people to gain their rights as citizens. Although most people were against treating African Americans like humans, there were some who felt African Americans deserved to be free and equal. This is not to say that they did not doubt our potential. Blacks have always been known as illiterate because at one point it was against the law for a black slave to learn to read and write. So although there were many who were rooting for our freedom, they still felt we were incapable of learning to read and write.

The most interesting part of the article to me was the story about Maria W. Stewart. She was the first African American woman known to have written essays. I found her story compelling because she was an independent non-struggling African American. Prior to marrying her husband James W. Stewart, she worked as a domestic servant to support herself. She and her husband were members of a small group of elites where they engaged in lively social and political activities. When her husband passed away, he left her everything. Unfortunately, her husband’s white business colleagues wanted everything. So she took them to court. After battling them for two years, she not only found herself stripped of everything he had owned but she was also subject to racial and gender discrimination. Because of this, she decided to go public with it.

I found it brave on her part to take these two white men to court because it was during a time period when slavery was slowing down but it still existed. I’m glad she took what happened to her during the court case public because it shows the world that black women aren’t illiterate and we are capable of standing up for ourselves, our beliefs, and what we know is wrong and unjust treatment.

Unbreakable...

The ability to use language has always been important to the African American race. Author, Jacqueline Royster describes how the concept of storytelling was one of the traditions that Africans continued to utilize after they were shipped to the Americas. Storytelling was used as a way to preserve the rich African culture. Not surprisingly, this was one of the many roles that women played in the African society. Through their stories, women were to lead their listeners down the path in which they should go.

Women were continuously degraded, yet their self esteem remained intact. “They were treated in a genderless way as they were called upon to work side by side with men” (Stewart 111). Enslaved women did what was forced upon them to do. They worked like men on the plantation and were sexually abused when it was convenient to the slave owner. However, this did not discourage African women from being strong and this strength allowed them, as well as others, to live. In addition to keeping the spirits of their community high, these black women made several attempts to speak out and stand up for equality. They attempted to use the legal system as a way to win rights that had not previously been awarded to Blacks. This in itself was an exciting feat for African Americans.

It is sad that women have never been given the credit that they deserve. Black women play such a huge part in the history of the African American culture; however, little is ever said about them. They are the glue that holds the community together, but they are consistently taken for granted. From this reading alone, it is easy to realize how strong and important women are. As slaves, they were made to do the same work as men, while being subject to sexual harassment and abuse on an everyday basis, in addition to taking care of a household. This means that they had twice the responsibility of Black men and constantly had to try to avoid being raped. Regardless, women took this responsibility in stride and maintained their dignity. These women laid the foundation for African American women today.

So They Say We're Illiterate...

Since the beginning of time Blacks have had to endure the unequal treatment placed upon them by their oppressors. This has caused many issues within the Black community. One of the most prominent problems is that a large percentage of Black women are considered illiterate by the terms of society. However, there are many contributors to this statistic that are caused primarily by the structure of the curriculum, instead of by the woman herself. Even the educational systems that are in effect today neglect the needs of young Black women, thus leaving them illiterate. Sadly, this lack of regard damages the future of the children born to these women, which creates an ongoing cycle of illiteracy.

It bothers me that Black women have to work twice as hard as anyone else to be accepted in European society. In the classroom setting, the needs of a Black woman remain unmet, yet she is still expected to succeed. Adding children to this equation makes learning even more of a task. Though it is unfair, Black women must fight to overcome these challenges. She is the force that will drive the Black race to be viewed as more than a group of people that allow the government to take care of her family through services such as welfare. The day when the majority of Black women are literate, is the day that they can teach their children to become literate. The race will finally be seen as the intelligent people they are. They will have achieved the two most important aspects of society, advancement and social change.