Essay On Black Women's Club Movement

This paper aims to examine the background, development, and purpose of the black women’s club movement during the late nineteenth century. As black women gained confidence in their political and social power, they began questioning their abilities in the fight against rights and racism. I plan to discuss the itinerary of black women during this time in order to show the turning point in the female role from housewife to politician. After the end of the reconstruction era, the Nadir of African American history posed a long war for civil rights. African American’s visions of the future included equal opportunities and full citizenship that were solely driven by hope (Gilmore). While black women were successful in the moral and social uplifting …show more content…
The two ideas go hand in hand to describe the fight of the black race against tyranny and oppression. The idea that black women were enslaved to society suggests that they were submissive to the culture of male dominance during this time. The black women’s club movement was a time of unity and collaboration of black women to develop their own organizations, which reflected their unique concerns for their race. As Martin Delaney, a black male abolitionist, suggested, “No people are ever elevated above the condition of their females”. Black women agreed that their race couldn’t progress so long as black women were looked down upon and suffering from oppression and gender discrimination. Black women saw themselves as critical to the battle of racism and began forming institutions that reflected their feminist concerns. As morale began to increase among women, a growing emphasis of protecting their reputations and womanhood also began to rise. These women’s clubs and societies were successful in educating women on current events and their presence increased literacy and political power among women. Their success can be contributed to their fundamental structure: the absence of men, who during this time had a general belief that women were inferior in all …show more content…
On one hand, women often agreed with some of the fundamental ideas behind proper behavior and morality. On the other hand, they opposed the racist implications of Victorian ideals. The cult of true womanhood held back women from reaching their highest potential in education, politics, and respect. According to Deborah Gray White, black women’s history contained sexual exploitation, legal obstacles, and many accepted stereotypes for far too long. Since it was clear that most men agreed with these characteristics, women turned to the organization of clubs in order to speak their minds and organize their thoughts. Black women began persistently speaking on their own behalf on issues of “Race leadership, negative stereotypes, women’s suffrage and women’s rights, and civil rights and civil liberties” (White). Deborah Gray White explains just how hard that undertaking was and why it was often considered “Too heavy a