For the St. Louis American
She’s a strong black woman. You’ve heard it, I’m sure. It’s curious why this sobriquet is so enduring.
Apparently, it’s not necessarily related to economic, political or social strength. Writer bell hooks in Ain’t I a Woman and Feminism, said that changing one’s condition n not just adapting or coping n represents strength.
At the same time, women of African descent deserve all the kudos for their monumental struggle to forge ahead. Typically, they have more children, work harder and do more with less.
This is not necessarily a bad thing. The more you can bear, the more you can endure, ergo strength. But don’t expect these women to be forever like Atlas in Greek mythology, forced by Zeus to bear the sky on his shoulders. These women need support.
Some women are beaten down by the system and fall by the wayside. Poverty can take its toll, weakening the moral fiber.
So what is it about black women, who face the triple oppressions of racism, sexism and classism, yet are stereotyped both positively and negatively? What’s more, there is an even more disconcerting myth: “The only free people in America are white men and black women.” Where does this mindless pablum come from?
There are many black women who are paragons of strength and leadership: Sojourner Truth, Ida B. Wells Barnett, Mary McLeod Bethune, Madame C.J. Walker (the first woman millionaire), Fannie Lou Hamer, Shirley Chisholm, Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin or Brown University President Dr. Ruth J. Simmons.
Yet black women are at the bottom of the economic totem pole; thirty-nine percent of families headed by a single, black woman live in poverty. You could say black women are strong if you examine the original Native American meaning of totem pole: those at the bottom support those above them and hence are stronger.
But, in America, the strength (or freedom) test is based on: who holds the purse strings?
On a more positive note, the income gap between men and women has narrowed. Yes, black men historically have been economically better off than black women. But women are gaining. Between 1991 and 2001, African Americans showed a record number of degrees at the associate, bachelor’s and master’s levels, and the highest gains were among black women.
One study showed that black and Asian-American women with bachelor’s degrees earn slightly more than similarly situated white women. These slight differences relate to historical patterns. Black women tend to hold more jobs, work more hours and take less time for paternity leave. More black women are also pursuing higher-paying professions.
So we need to revisit this strength notion. Strength is a quality far beyond surviving. A strong black woman thrives economically, politically and socially.
Malaika Horne, Ph.D. is director of the Executive Leadership Institute in the College of Business Administration at UMSL.