Showcase of Undergraduate Research and Creative Endeavors (SOURCE)

Black Women in America

For my capstone project, I examine the hardships that Black women have faced due to their situation at the intersection of multiple oppressions, and how patriarchy and white supremacy have played a huge role into why they are one of the most oppressed groups in America. Throughout this research paper, I discuss why being a Black woman in American is viewed as one of the most oppressed identities. For this intersectional analysis, I consider the how the power markers of race, gender, and sex are often fundamental to how Black women experience the world. Drawing on the work of Sojourner Truth, the Combahee River Collective, Patricia Hill Collins, bell hooks, Kimberle Crenshaw, and Ange-Marie Hancock, I discuss the race and sex identities of Black women and how patriarchy and white supremacy have historically shaped Black women’s self-understandings and how others view black women. In particular, this research examines how Black women embrace their culture with their hair and makeup, their occupational statuses, and how it is hard for all women, but especially Black women, to advance in their careers. This is an important topic for political science to explore because it is all about who holds the power to create this social issue among Black women and who has the power to effect change.