An Example of a Black Existential Feminist

Good afternoon all!

I have found two videos about a women that I believe is a true Black Existential Feminist. Her name is  Beverly Guy-Sheftall. In the two videos that I've seen about this women, she has really shown that she is capable of holding the title of being a black feminist. So watch the two videos about Her Impact on helping black feminists and the other about Her Two Cents on the matter of the history of Black Feminism.

Thanks and enjoy your day!

Margaret Garner

I'm sure many were wondering what the end result ended up being in the Margaret Garner case. I researched and found that Margaret and her husband were taken into custody and tried in what became one of the longest fugitive slave trials in history. "During the two week trial, abolitionist and lawyer, John Jolliffe, argued that Margaret’s trips to free territory in Cincinnati entitled her and her children to freedom. Although Jolliffe provided compelling arguments, the judge denied the Garners’ plea for freedom and returned them to Gaines. In a bid to gain freedom for Margaret and her children, Jolliffe convinced officials to arrest Margaret on the charge of murdering her daughter.  Joliffe surmised that with a murder trail, Margaret would have another chance for freedom. Gaines caught on to Jolliffe’s plan and relocated the Garners to several different plantations before finally selling them to his brother in Arkansas. As a result, federal marshals were not able to serve Margaret with an arrest warrant and she never received a second trial. Margaret Garner died in 1858 from a typhoid epidemic."  
Steven Weisenburger, Modern Madea: A Family Story of Slavery and Child-Murder from the Old South. New York: Hill and Wang, 1998; Weisenburger, Steven, “A Historical Margaret Garner,” http://www.motopera.org/mg_ed/educational/HS_HistoricalMGarner.html (accessed November 25, 2007).

Margaret's willingness to go to jail rather than to return back to her owners shows us again how desperate she was to escape the horrors of slavery. In the novel Morrison made plain to us the many absurdities that took place during slavery. Because of this we can empathize with Sethe and try not to judge her actions. She did what she felt was best for her and her children She did not want them to undergo the torture that she witnessed and experienced, and attempted to provide a better alternative; which was death.
  

 

Living in Absurdity: Slavery Tools: The Iron Bit

The iron slave bit that is mentioned in Beloved is shown above. Thomas Branagan, the slave trader turned abolitionist describes the iron bit: "through front and profile view of Superman's head, with the mouth-piece and necklace, the hooks round which are placed to prevent an escapee when pursued in the woods, and to hinder them from laying down the head to procure rest." In the novel, this was the tool that prevented Paul D from speaking to Halle and is a prime example of black people living in a world of absurdity. Not only did this tool prevent the slave from speaking, but it also prevented him from sleeping and eating. 

"Because Of Them We Can"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vN-3j0NW2p4 Hello guys watch the video it is on Eunique Jones Gibson acknowledging the importance of the people who paved the way for us in a positive light. She also addresses the importance of African American artist having a positive effect on young people in our society; I related this to previous discussions in class about African Americans helping each other grow as people.

Black Female Voices: Who is Listening - A public dialogue between bell h...

Excellent video of a dialogue between Bell Hooks and Melissa Perry discussing the voice of black women. Their discussion was very relevant to the one we had in class concerning the readings by Lorde, Cleage and Collins. They discuss the realities of different black women and expound on the voices of each. It is deemed as a blessing in today's society for black women to be able to have a platform, where they are actually able to share their thoughts and people actually listen and or read them. Very good discussion! They also touch on the many stereotypes that women have to deal with when they decide to speak up in this patriarchal society. They are automatically deemed angry or as hooks said "difficult", when attempting to voice their opinions on certain situations. We as black women must remember to always speak up and tell our truth despite the outcome or consequences. As Cleage said, "What's the point of fighting for the truth if you're not allowed to tell it?"

The true Statue

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3XQVYo3yG_c Watch the link guys, its the poet Jessica Care Moore performing "Black Statue Of Liberty" very moving piece and she hit many of the topics we have discussed in class pertaining to whites and the patriarchy society we live in. African American women are truly the real statue, as we all know African American women have molded the foundation of white society yet and still being left at the bottom looked upon as less than and treated as to have little to no value. African American women as stated in her poem "I am a symbol of freedom but still not free."

It Ain't for Everybody!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/02/20/oscars-diversity-problem_n_6709334.html

http://www.eonline.com/news/626853/mo-nique-says-roles-in-empire-and-the-butler-just-went-away-lee-daniels-told-me-i-ve-been-blackballed

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/02/23/sheryl-lee-ralph-monique-blackball_n_6737830.html

http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/oscars/oscars-2015-john-legend-makes-slavery-comparison-acceptance-speech-n310816

I'd like for everyone to take the time to watch the videos in the above links. They will clarify where I was coming from in class about my gripe with the Oscars and the entertainment field as a whole. In the story Black Ice that we discussed in class, we can see how audacious the main character Joyce was in standing up for herself and other women to a politician. As I'm typing this I can think of the movie American Violet which is the perfect visual depiction of a similar situation-a black woman going to bat ultimately for rights to herself (June Jordan reference), and her opponent is a not only a white man but a politician with ulterior motives ("This is an old and primary tool of all oppressors to keep the oppressed occupied with the master's concerns"). Watch the movie if you haven't already. It's very fitting for some themes we've covered in class and relevant to society as well. Great movie, watch it and thank me later.
Anyway, I call the first link the "crash-course" into the background of the Oscars and it's surrounding politics. The way that it's set up is undeniably discriminatory. Of course there's a sprinkle of brown faces, not because they're talented money makers but for "fairness" aka affirmative action purposes. I can understand why Audre Lorde wasn't readily supplying how to integrate instructions... because no one is oblivious to what's going! The way people are passive, assertive, or aggressive speaks to their character. Take the third link I posted. Sheryl Lee Ralph makes a snide remark regarding the attitude to take in showbiz sometimes (which really made me commend Mo'Nique's speech at the Oscars more)which to me says she lack integrity for herself. It says to me that she's willing to be that puppet on the string which we've had more than our share of in history. We need more Mo'Niques and more Joyce's amongst black people because obviously we still can't leave it up to black men to speak for us women either (hence John Legend and Common Oscar speeches).