Literacy and the Black woman

“Historically, she has been and remains a member of the underclass. From the period of slavery through today, she has been perceived as nothing much. The myth is “through literacy, all can be overcome”(lim,1996, p.1). The  truth is that the black woman has much more to endure in our society. This chapter examines the education and literacy of the Black woman, historically tracing it from the period of slavery through today.

After 1865 (emancipation), the black woman openly sought what she had been covertly seeking during the period of slavery. She thought she would now be able to legally seek official literacy. The oppressors thought differently and acted on their beliefs. By the time of emancipation, the oppressors saw the changes that were about to come. Therefore, they enacted more laws that banned the education of slaves and free Blacks. The Black woman was disappointed once again; she was now faced with views that she was intellectually inferior and did not warrant being formally educated. But we should know that, even these women who are considered illiterate possess skills that, within a broader context, should enable them to be considered literate and upwardly mobile. These women are the best economists; they raise families at income levels barely appropriate for single persons. They are the best chief executive officers because they oversee the day-to-day survival of the Black family under harsh and discouraging circumstances.

Achieving literacy as a vehicle for social change is not an easy task. That is why, by demanding programs that address her needs, by being instrumental in creating effective curriculum, and by supporting or attending the schools that are in existence, she continues the fight for a better way of life. The Black woman continues to struggle for herself as well as her future generations just as her foremothers struggled for her and brought the change. No one knows what the future will bring; however, one should expect that continued change would take place as long as Black women are alive.

Storytelling

It is the oldest art that humans know and use daily. Its purpose has changed over the centuries, but it still fulfills basic societal and individual needs. Telling tales provides a means to communicate and express feelings to others. This essay on Storytelling has touched me and made me to know many things about it. Storytelling is self-nurturing and articulates human hope, fears and dreams, so it is an important function in life for all people because they help create a foundation on which we build an understanding of the world as well as provide a filter through which we experience life.

The purpose of a story is to describe how people make sense of the events of their lives, experiences, and actions. The constructs involved in the division of stories are culture, social interaction, race, and class. Every story that we tell or hear has a purpose and helps keep our lives knitted together. "Stories show how humans actors do things in the world, how their actions shape events and instigate in other actors, thus changing the world and often the actors themselves in some way. Stories also reveal the way events and other actors act upon others, shaping possibilities and the way we view ourselves and our world." (Storytelling as a Light of Hope 123)

Mothers traditionally use stories to teach children about life and nature, who they are, and  where they came from. The practice of storytelling creates a record of African-American customs and culture. Some of them are related to the church and religious customs, while other stories are related to lessons and traditions.   From this chapter, I have learned that storytelling is a bi-product of African American life and the stories that have been created contain themes that reflect the varied experiences of African American people in America. It has also been used as a means to learn more about factors contributing to the events that affected African American women’s lives.                                                                                         

Black Women/ Black Literature

Joanne Kilgour Dowdy and Christina McVay collaborated to conduct an interview of "Christina McVay's thoughts and philosophy regarding teaching Black women in the Pan-African Studies department"(Dowdy 87). The interview has a lot of twists and turns and I enjoyed reading this interview. The mood was quite casual and relaxing. Both the interviewer and the interviewee were very comfortable with each other and talked about many topics regarding McVay's domain of work and how her experience in the Pan-African Studies department is quite unique. "Christina McVay is one of many White instructors who have sung the praises of Black oral and written language throughout her teaching and writing career"(Dowdy 87). This peaked my interest in McVay because it was such a good feeling to know that someone is actually interested in African Americans with such passion. I thought to myself is this common? Has the time period changed so much that now in modern day times White people are longing to know our enriched history? 

McVay received numerous awards for her amazing  work with her students. "Students frequently say that they come away from my class with a new and different perspective on things"(Dowdy 89).  This surprised me as well, I didn't know that a White woman teaching about Blacks could be a successful combination, clearly I was wrong. "One of the communities that has the greatest oral dexterity is the Black community"(Dowdy 89). McVay's perspective from the positive standpoint is a spectacular one at the least. The strong interest to the African American race through Pan- African studies can also be traced back to Elaine Richardson's  To Protect and Serve.  Both pieces really acknowledge the power of the history of African Americans and how the traditions and behaviors of those before us and after are nothing new. Our people as a whole have come so far, and yet the African American women of today are still looked down upon. Maybe if we had more people like McVay to make it to the media and get the message that the "Black Community" is something worth fighting for, I'm almost positive we can see a change, or will we?

Dowdy, Joanne Kilgour. Black Women/ Black Literature. Cresskill: Hampton Press, Inc., 2005.

Being Black in America

Education is the key to opening the door to success. In the article, “To Be Black, Female, and Literate,” Leonie C.R. Smith recalls all the hardships she faced in her life trying to obtain her education. As a young child she saw how her family's wealth was taken from them, because her grandmother, who was illiterate, was conned from her estate by a woman who could read. Since than her father pressed education onto Leonie and her siblings even after difficult obstacles got in the way, including the death of her mother.

 Leonie shares with us the racism she faced trying to get an education in the United States and realized what it meant to be a black woman in America. Never having her identity as being black questioned, Leonie had a rude awakening in New York, being an immigrant from Antigua. Alienation from her white peers and professors based on her race was a struggle for Leonie, but she was committed to her work and continuously landed in the top of her class.


Leonie’s story can relate to many faceless African Americans throughout history who fought for an education due to their race. Not only do African Americans have to fight for their education, but they have to work twice as hard as their white counterparts. It is a universal rule that every black child has been taught. African Americans are born into inferiority and it is our job to prove our superiority through our knowledge. Leonie constantly proved herself even when she faced the worse situations. I share mutual feelings towards discrimination in the classroom as Leonie C.R. Smith did, because I attended a predominantly white school for ten years. Even though I had many friends I did feel like an outcast numerous times and if I was struggling in a class they were quick to put my needs aside with a nonchalant attitude. Hopefully in time negative actions toward black students will change, but stories such as Leonies' reminds me how blessed I am to acquire an education and she gives me the will to keep on going even when times get rough.

"To Protect & Serve": African American Female Literacies

To Protect & Serve By: Elaine Richardson

In all my years of being criticized for having a "bad attitude", being "bossy" and "caring"for a large amount of people and not just myself has left a mark on my childhood as a negative complaint. But, after reading this, it has opened my eyes to that of my ancestors and how as black women are really here to "Protect & Serve". I was so compelled to read that just like some of my greatest ancestors being able to cater to someone else's needs instead of your own was something that I no longer have to feel guilty about. I now know that throughout all those years of being punished it was all from those who came before me. The resistance and strong willed ways instilled in me has ran through my families veins for generations. We must learn that as African American females the negative images associated with our race are heartbreaking, but these burdens should only make us stronger and encourage us to breakthrough the norm, negative statistics, and have us succeed!

This literary piece focuses on African American females while bringing an eye opening standpoint about the struggle of women. Richardson opens the novel with the harsh forms of "brutal patriarchy" and the struggle of black females in present day society. The images portrayed and seen in the media that give African American females a degrading name and also making it quite difficult to communicate to others. The "code-switching" topic was very in depth and discussed how the African Americans then (slavery times) and now (present day) have always changed their voices or their forms of communication to help other races understand them better. Under white supremacy the immoral treatment of African American females has only worsened today, you can see it all over music videos, newspaper, TV, practically anywhere you look. Richardson goes on to give a large number of anecdotes and examples to help support her claims.  This book was truly eyeopening in the sense that a lot of this information was surprisingly true. For example. young black girls in schools are more outgoing then their European- American peers and are willing to maintain order and structure in the classroom. This I can relate to because being a leader in my classroom was always something I desired to do, I always loved having control and I used my body language/ "silence" to object to things that I didn't seem were right. 


As a strong willed, compassionate and intelligent African American female I highly enjoyed this novel. The novel opened my eyes to things I didn't even notice until now. After reading this novel I want to make sure that I keep up the way I have been communicating with others and make it a vow to keep my ancestry alive and continue the legacy of strong and determined African American females.  I will not conform to what society wants me to be. I am going to be my own unique self and continue through life one step at a time.

"The Bloggers"

We are 3 first year students at the illustrious Spelman College. We would like to introduce ourselves to you. The first blogger is Rosine Dushime a Rwanda native and a Biochemistry major. The second blogger is Taylar Wade an Economics major from North Carolina. Last but not least, the third blogger is Marissa Robinson a Psychology & Environmental Science major from Maryland. We are here to further our minds through creative writing and small discussion through topics in our English Compostion class with Dr. Greene. We hope you enjoy our blog!!!

Rosine :)

 Marissa :)

Taylar :)