Nila Priyambodo
Managing Editor

The history and development of the womanist movement was discussed in “Womanism, Black Feminist Consciousness from Afros to Hip Hop,” one of the events in the Engendering Diversity and Community Conference on Friday.

The event, led by Cross Cultural Programs Director Keisha Bentley, focused on the current trends in womanism and womanism within the hip-hop generation.

The womanist movement recognizes and tackles how race, class and gender impact the lives of black women.

“Often black women shy away from movements and activities that are considered ‘feminist,’” Bentley said. “I wanted to be part of educating people about the history and future of womanism, or black feminism.”

The roundtable discussion, which was attended by 10 people, started with the conversation about how black feminism began. The Civil Rights and Black Liberation movements had a history of patriarchy.

For instance, black women were demoted to office work and often when a black woman would make a brilliant or important comment, the men would take credit for it.

Additionally, Bentley said that the modern feminist movement was usually equated with white women, which led to the neglect and invisibility of black women.

Because of the exclusions from those groups, womanism or black feminism was created to support black women’s self-definition and self-determination.

“Womanist thought is an integral and deeply important element of any analysis of gender and sexuality,” said General Education Program Director Zandra Wagoner, who organized the Engendering Diversity and Community Conference. “Womanist thought has intentionally brought race, class and gender into conversation with one another and is an invaluable voice for understanding gendered lives.”

During the event, Bentley also talked about why some women do not support womanism.

“Women feel like they are abandoning their men and that they are selfish for standing up and saying they need support,” Bentley said.

One of the segments within the discussion was geared toward the inaccurate stereotypes and categories given to black women, such as the mammy, a matriarchal, asexual and robust woman wearing a rag that always takes care and gives advice to the white family; the sapphire, the loud, hostile, emasculating, conniving and manipulative black woman; the jezebel, the black woman who lures men with their sexuality; and the gold digger.

“One of the big focuses on black feminism is self-identity and control over how we are identified,” Bentley said. “But before we can talk about black feminism we need to talk about how black women were identified in the past and present.”

Another segment focused on hip hop and women and the misogyny within hip hop. Lyrics from songs by Eminem were used as examples.

“Not only are black women degraded by black men, but now black women are degraded by white men,” Bentley said.

Other issues brought up during the roundtable discussion included conversations about the feminist portrayals in movies like “The Color Purple” and “Waiting to Exhale” and problems in society like the lack of leading roles for black women in movies and television.

“The leading role is an unfamiliar place for black women,” Bentley said. “They are usually the girlfriends.”

The event was popular among the people who attended.

“I am so glad that I attended this roundtable,” said Assistant Professor of Education Lisa Porter. “The conversation was thought provoking and extremely engaging. This was one of my favorite sessions of the conference.

“When discussing issues connected to gender and sexuality, it is extremely important to examine how they intersect with discussions on race and ethnicity,” she added.

Bentley feels that black feminism was important to discuss on the University of La Verne campus.

“This event is long overdue,” Bentley said. “Academic discourse on women and gender issues has been neglected on this campus. I am glad that we are making progress.

“It is equally important for men and women to be involved and take a genuine interest in women’s studies,” she added. “This involvement will facilitate communication and break down barriers.”

Nila Priyambodo can be reached at npriyambodo@ulv.edu.