Essay about “Women, Race, and Class”

Danna Tovar April 18, 2019 “Women, race, and class” Angela Davis Did colored female receive enough representation throughout history for what they experienced in various levels of society? In Women, Race, and Class, the author shares numerous perspectives and conflicts girls experienced throughout various different levels of society, more specifically, African American women. This paper will discuss the focal points made by Angela Davis dividing them by the three categories she breaks her story down by; Women, Race, and Class. Born on January 26, 1944, in Birmingham, Alabama, as a woman of color, Davis experienced firsthand discrimination brought on by injustice and racial prejudice, an example being that African American’s homes were bombed by the Ku Klux Klan as an attack of hate, at that time violence and hate acts towards African Americans were especially common in that extremely conservative southern state.

Her parents, both who were college graduates and members of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, were heavy influences and contributors to her extended investment in learning and teaching through their emphasis on their children about the importance of higher education, and her involvement in civil rights movements.

That would later prompt Davis to partake in integrated school programs, become more invested in expanding her knowledge and subsequently associate with various organizations which she would later be widely recognized for. Davis was best known for being a radical African American activist who’s fighting extended to various social issues, however, Davis is most importantly known for her involvement in organizations like the Black Panther Party and the Communist Party. In 1970 due to her association with the Black Panther party, Davis was mistakenly arrested and sent to jail for possessing a gun that was used in a murder of a judge, after eighteen months she was found not guilty and released. Davis traveled throughout Europe and the United States where she began lecturing and advocating for gender equality.

To this day, Davis continues voicing her thoughts through her teachings at the University of California Santa Cruz. Davis represents an author of many more publications, she has an autobiography, as well as other books about freedom. During Women, Race, and class, you acquire insights to a century ago during which white and African American women unite to fight for women’s freedom and for any injustices. “Susan B. Anthony concluded the ballot contained the real secret of women’s liberation and that sexism itself was far more oppressive than class and racism” Women, Race, and class are divided into thirteen chapters examining all aspects of female struggles for equality throughout history, Davis’s primary goal is tracing the efforts of feminist movements for suffrage in the united states. Davis writes about African American them who were still oppressed through other forms of labor even after being freed from slavery often confined to some of the worst working conditions, domestic labor workers and often experienced violence from the male employers. In many ways, Davis noticed the extensive lack of representation towards African American women had. She noticed that in many times African American men were just fighting for their rights forgetting to touch on African American females' interests, she also felt a lack of representation toward the white middle-class feminist movements and challenges brought by capitalism.

Angela Davis wrote this book to inform about the hardships African American females went through, she wants to represent all the women that worked as hard as males outside in horrible weather, many times African American women were called breeders and they were treated like cattle, Pregnant women did not receive a break from work they would have to keep working, even after they had their kids, they, however, did not receive a break and would have to keep working. In many cases they performed a similar kind of labor and worked as hard as a man would, they were in many cases raped and beaten and they, however, did not have any representation or anyone to stand up and speak up for them. After years pass slaves are free, she mentions many African American equal rights activists and many of them are treated harshly for speaking up for their rights, they face threats and others are victims of lynchings. The message that Davis wants to convey is that if they were to have had more females equal rights activist speak-up they would have won the battle way earlier. This book relates to many topics from the textbook, for instance, the progressive era. Touching on what roles women’s organizations played in the progressive era, it touches on “new women” which represent a product of social and economic changes for them.

Additionally mention women’s suffrage one of the most tremendous movements of the progressive era, women argued that they were entitled similar freedoms as men, for example, the right to vote, another thing that is both in the book Women, race, and class and in the textbook is the (NAWSA) National American Women Association, another example both in the book and in the textbook is “African Americans and reform” how progressive era produced significant challenges, also both talk about the (NAACP) National Advancement Association for Colored People. The instructor more than likely selected this book because Angela Davis took action against racial conflicts when racism was seen all over the united states. She was too a very strong civil rights activist, the instructor probably admires and values Angela Davis for not surrendering after being put in in jail for a crime she did not commit, Angela Davis kept fighting for the liberties of both African American men and women, the instructor more than likely enjoyed this piece because Angela Davis was a sophisticated writer that also endured many of these obstacles, and she also focuses on various different conflicts in society.

Women, race, and class is an incredible book about them’s race and their status, all they experienced during the woman’s suffrage written by Angela Davis, this work is extremely interesting because it gives you examples of what black women and white women went through, she gives various references from Black women as well as Caucasian women activist who fought against bigotry and sexism for the equal justices of women like Ida B. Wells and W.E.B. Du Bois. Davis notices that neither Black men or white women understand what black females went through, rape, slavery, racial bigotry, violence, etc. All at once, but Ida B. Wells and W.E.B.

Du Bois are some of the ones that speak up to make a change. There’s so much that this book talks about, it also provides context of current events, like feminism to this day, Davis utilizes exceptionally influential ideas and thoughts she examined how the feminist movement had failed all women pleading for their rights, she discusses topics like the anti-rape and how it excluded colored women, capitalism and birth control/reproductive rights. In conclusion, only a few will understand what Black women really went through and only a few fought for equitable rights, Davis composes this book to make sure we all know that black females did not have enough representation from the women’s movement or black male activists.

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