The Strength of the Black Woman

In the essay, Going Against the Grain, there is a strong emphasis on the empowerment of the Black woman. Black women have improved as a result of the negative images and stereotypes that we were faced with during slavery. Last semester, I read Angela Davis’s essay entitled, “Reflections on the Black Woman’s Role in the Community of Slaves.” Davis’s ideas were cited in Going Against the Grain. These ideas reinforced the images of Black women as it relates to our history and future. Davis discussed our roles as slaves and emphasized the value of being a Black woman. In the slave community, she notes that the Black woman had a strong influence over her family and the slave master’s family. Although she represented strength and power, she was often exploited and degraded. Davis discussed that female slaves had both male and female roles. Black women were “females” when they were being raped or forced to have more children, and they had "male" mentality when they endured intense struggles. In Davis’s essay, she also notes that because female slaves had “male roles” as the leader of their family, they were not treated as real women like their Caucasian counterparts. As a result, we were dehumanized and the image of the Black woman was tarred.
In effect, Black women were very valuable in slave society, but their value was overlooked. They represented strength, power and intelligence. These attributes were commonly ignored by slave masters and people of power. I strongly believe that these images ultimately helped us become empowered; starting in slavery. During slavery, Black women had a strong desire to become literate, but did not have this opportunity. Going Against the Grain truly emphasized the importance of literacy in the Black community and notes how it started during slavery. Over time, Black women became more aware of education and the importance of being intelligent. We fought the negative images associated with being Black and female. Davis suggested, “they were indeed beaten down, but they were not broken, and they actually managed to accumulate strengths and to re-create themselves under the lash, such that they emerged from slavery more whole than anyone could have expected (4).” Through these dark images, Black women learned to persevere and battle through racism during slavery and today. We continue to improve ourselves through literacy and education.

-Lauren Tripplett

Let Us Encourage and Uplift

For my blog on Going Against the Grain, I would like to focus on parts of the writing that show how past generations of African American women have become a literary backbone for future generations of Black females as well as the entire race. These past generations of women realized that they would have to strive in literacy in order to thrive in the United States. They recognized that in order for them to survive and be successful in the US, they would have to practice their literary skills. They also recognized that through achieving literacy and proper education they could make a difference in the African American community. “The quest for literacy was a symbolic manifestation of their desire for agency and autonomy…. In this quest they also accepted personal responsibility for securing their own rights and perceived their opportunities to learn to be an obligation to use the benefits of those opportunities for good and righteous work in solving an array of problems, not only for themselves but for the race as a whole(113).” As I read this part from Going Against the Grain I reflected on my literacy narrative and thought of the strong, black, literate females in my life who encouraged me to achieve literacy. My grandmothers, aunts, and my mother all took part in my learning how to read, write and comprehend the English language. As you continue reading Going Against the Grain think of the Black, literate women who have uplifted you and encouraged you to achieve literary skills and talents, and think of how you can pass that same encouragement to future generations of Black females.

Kirah Brace

FIRE!!! Going Against the Grain in FLAMES!

Powerful
Ambitious
Thirsty
Passionate
Diligent

These are all words that perfectly describe the Black Woman in her rawest form. These are simple words that personify her and give way to her strong mind. Powerful, ambitious, and thirsty for knowledge, the Black woman has effectively began to rise and melt the chains of ignorance and illiteracy that have kept her mind in slave quarters long after Emancipation.

As African American Women we have a testimony. We have overcome! We have successfully made it through the flames of racism, sexism and class-bound ideologies. Like grains of sand, scorched by these flames of oppression, we have matured into sharp pieces of glass, able to cut at the very ropes that continuously attempt to lynch our people. We are alive! We are human! We made it! “The quest for literacy was a symbolic manifestation of our desire for agency and autonomy.” Though our quest is not completely fulfilled, we are closer than ever before.

We have truly gone against the grain in our quest for literacy. In the face of opposition our foremothers took strides to ensure that we would be at this very place today- a place of security, knowing and wanting. “They were the storytellers” that lit up little faces on the plantation, issuing dreams and promises of the women that we are today. It is amazing to think that one day-not too long ago- some little girl dreamed of the freedom and power that we have today. Our history of struggling and persevering through the toils of slavery have molded us into ready-minded soldiers with our souls “fired with a holy zeal for freedom’s cause.”

“O, ye daughters of Africa, awake! Awake! Arise! No longer sleep nor slumber, but distinguish yourselves. Show forth to the world that ye are endowed with noble and exalted faculties… And where is the youth who has written upon his manly brow a thirst of knowledge; whose ambitious mind soars above trifles, and longs for the time to come, when he shall redress the wrongs of his father and plead the cause of his brethren?... Their souls would become fired with a holy zeal for freedom’s cause… Able advocates would arise in our defence. Knowledge would begin to flow, and the chains of slavery and ignorance would melt like wax before the flames” -Maria W. Stewart

Danielle Winfrey

Going Against the Grain: The Acquisition and Use of Literacy

African American history particularly that of black women is effectively illustrated in Going against the Grain: The Acquisition and Use of Literacy. As I was reading this text, I recalled the sentiments my peers expressed in regards to the advantages of living the life of a black woman on the first day of class. Royster relates that despite the two hundred years of oppression and dehumanization African American women endured, they came out with a sense of self worth and self reliance. I have read several articles that have equally illustrated the treacherous institution of slavery since I have been at Spelman; however, I thoroughly enjoyed this text. Although, Going against the Grain relays that the black race was raped, beaten and dehumanized, Royster too emphasizes that even in the face of oppression we, as black women, acted “with authority and power as intellectual beings” (114). I feel as though too often in the black community, we are told that we have been wronged and we have the right to be bitter. The acquisition of literacy was by no means an easy road and by titling this chapter “Going Against the Grain”, Royster relays to me that it is imperative that we continue to do so. Despite the fact that we were used and abused throughout the institution of slavery and viewed as inferior to all others long after, our acquired literacy was one of the primary skills in which we formed our distinction. We, as African American women, have beaten all odds--we are no longer on the plantation and we are no longer being held down. As we so diligently went against the grain before, it is imperative that we do not stop now. Here at Spelman, we have been given ample opportunity to utilize our literacy and become even more competent than the women before us therefore it is imperative that we continue to go against the grain as we refuse to succumb to the notion of victimization.

--Taylor Carter

The Personal Journey of a Literate Black Female

“To Be Black, Female, and Literate: A Personal Journey in Education and Alienation,” is a personal essay written by Leonie C.R. Smith on her individual experience in literacy and education beginning with her schooling in Antigua and her matriculation through American school systems. Smith breaks her journey into two parts. In the first part she describes her life as a young, black, and literate female growing up on the Caribbean island of Antigua, and in the second half of her journey she describes her challenges of being a black, literate female in America. Each part of her journey tells a unique story of what molded Smith into the person she has become.
Born into a large family on the island of Antigua, Smith learned the importance of being literate at a very young age. Her father instilled the importance of education into his children after he witnessed his own mother fall victim to illiteracy when she was cheated into selling her estate because she did not understand the content of a contract she agreed to. Through this event Smith saw literacy as a means of survival. She said, “My life long pursuit of education and academic literacy is a stepping stone on my way to independence.” During her early years of schooling in Antigua, Smith excelled in her classes and she was encouraged to succeed in her studies. The primary school education that Smith received was by way of British standards. She was taught British English and had to be able to differentiate when she was to speak British English or the local language of patois. This challenge in deciding which language was appropriate at which times was the first of many challenges Smith would face with identity.
In 1987, Smith immigrated to Brooklyn, New York where she began the seventh grade. In America, Smith came to be labeled as illiterate due to culturally biased American literacy test that did not fit with the standard British education she had received during her primary schooling. Through the rest of her secondary school years, Smith realized the cultural and racial differences between her Antiguan self and her American classmates. These differences became more challenging as she entered college life. Smith attended Hamilton College, “a private predominately White upper-class miniature Ivy League institution.” During her time spent at Hamilton College, Smith faced many a days of racism from both peers and professors. She describes her time at Hamilton as being marked with “intense loneliness and isolation.” Racism spread from her classroom time, into her athletics, her social life, and just about every other piece of who she was. However, Smith was determined to succeed despite the toll racism had on her day to day life.
Smith chose to push past the negative that surrounded her because she had a goal she wanted to achieve. She found the positives in her life that helped her like joining cultural organizations and finding strength in other women of color or Caribbean background who attended Hamilton College. Above all, she found strength in herself especially by holding on to her own Caribbean identity instead of completely assimilating in to a culture that had seemed to reject her. Smith survived and moved on past Hamilton and began working towards a doctorate degree in Health Education at Kent State University. Smith’s journey is a brave struggle of identity and racism and how endurance and focus prevails.

Kirah Brace

Black Women/Black Literature by Christina Mcvay & Joanne Kilgour Dowdy

In Joanne Dowdy’s interview with Christina Mcvay, they discuss Mcvay’s experiences as an instructor of Pan African studies. Mcvay is Caucasian, which raises the question: How can a White woman truly understand such a topic? She describes her life growing up when she says, “And it’s the fact that I grew up in a pretty tidy, White disciplined environment.” Although she lived in such an environment, she shows a genuine interest in the topic of Black Women and literature. I honestly admire her outlook on African American language and literature. She sees a sense of hope for young Black people, especially women. Mcvay uses unique strategies to help her students appreciate their culture as it relates to African American literature. She introduces a “slang dictionary” where her students list slang words and definitions for these words. As a result, these students begin to show an appreciation for their culture. By emphasizing the works of Zora Neale Hurston and Toni Morrison, Mcvay displays a world of Black, female intellectuals whom her students can relate to. Mcvay expresses the importance of Black, female authors and how she learns important lessons from them. She believes that studying the works of Morrison, Hurston and Alice Walker made her a different person. Because she learns life lessons from these authors, she can transmit these ideas to her students. In effect, she empowers them by relating these works to their lives and uplifting them. She says, “They’re making connections between what we read in this piece of literature and their own experiences.” I believe that literature should be analyzed by paralleling personal experiences to the stories presented in the text. In this case, her students understand the works by examining their own lives. I respect Mcvay as an instructor. She places her students on a heightened intellectual level where she not only teaches her students, but she learns from them. This idea is very important in terms of educating our youth. I strongly believe that Mcvay is a positive influence for not only her students but for other educators, who show an authentic desire to educate Black women. Interestingly, when she addresses her students she notes, “But I can’t bring the Blackness to what we’re doing. That’s your job. And in fact I learn from my students.” She goes on to say, “I’m never going to pretend to be an expert on Blackness. And they appreciate that.”She shows a level of respect for her students, which boosts their self-esteem. Young, Black women need this confidence in order to be successful. I believe that at Spelman College we are surrounded by professors who lead us in a positive direction.

-Phenomenal Woman LT

Lauren Tripplett

Literacy and the Black Woman

Literacy and the Black Woman by Sharon M. Darling




In the essay Literacy and the Black Woman Sharon M. Darling highlights the journey that we as Black women have persevered in order to achieve formal literacy. She maintains that from a historical perspective although our mostly oratory language of the past has not been conducive to our literacy today; several women have still successfully learned to read, write and communicate effectively. She argues that our illiteracy was an important factor in the effort of oppressing enslaved women and now, women of the twenty first century. Still we rise! Black women continue to seek formal education, in spite of the great obstacles put in place to discourage us. Our spirits of determination in caring and providing for our families and maintaining healthy social and professional lives should accredit to our literacy and thus propel us further in society, however we are ignored. After years of being ignored in the classroom as young girls and ignored in society as women, many black women lose interest in gaining the literacy that their oppressors hold above their heads. An astonishing 60% of the world’s illiterate population is comprised of women and Black women make up 44% of all illiterate women. Many factors contribute to this breath taking phenomenon. Inadequate educational experiences, high teenage pregnancy rates, and “sex-role stereotyping” are all examples of the negative social forces helping to keep our sisters illiterate. We as black women are warriors fighting against a multiple levels of oppression; we must first enter society as women and then again as black women. I still believe there is hope. If we merely uplift our sisters and place positive opportunities in the way, literacy’s acquisition would not seem so farfetched. There are already a few programs in place to combat the illiteracy rate in our communities like Head Start and the GED program that gives lagging students a realistic goal and a more concrete reason for wanting to learn. Even though only a solid 40% of the Black female population is considered formally literate, that forty percent is a solid representation of the potential that all of our sisters have. As Women of Spelman College, we are actively striving to acquire a higher level of literacy than that which our society has already established. We are climbing and working towards becoming Free-Thinking women that apply the knowledge we obtain to real world situations in hopes of propelling our sisterhood and community toward the ultimate goal of 100% literacy.





-Phenomenal Woman DW

Danielle Winfrey