What does feminism have to do with your research?//Cathryn RIchmond, M.A.

Picture citation: http://feministcampus.org/giving-thanks-for-native-american-women-activists/

This is a question arising frequently in academia for those of us doing feminist work.  However, perhaps the question we should be asking is: What is “normal” or “natural?”  Such questions seem inherent to fields such as psychology, yet the conceptualization of such terms is inextricably intertwined with capitalism and systems of power.  Though scientific research including psychology has contributed to the creation and perpetuation of identity categories and power hierarchies, these foundational ideologies are largely ignored and power structures are generally examined in isolation, if at all.  Historical texts in the field of sexology are embedded in contemporary racial ideologies (Somerville, 1994), such that it is remiss to speak of only sexuality or gender without considerations of other systems of power such as race and class. 

U.S. policy relies on the politics of identity and culture (Duggan, 2003).  The ideal of the “normal American” arose through a dramatically racialized understanding of sexuality (Carter, 2007, p. 2), producing the nebulous concept of “normal whiteness” situated within heteronormativity, which refers to the way in which our society views conventional gender roles, heterosexuality, and the nuclear family as “normal” (Crouch, McNair, & Waters, 2017).  The key to “normal whiteness” relates to constructing and teaching white normality while not appearing to do so, such that normality enabled discourse related to race and sexuality occurs without discussion of the power systems upon which they were based (Carter, 2007).  Thus, rather than phrases such as, “This is how proper white people do it,” the discourse shifted to, “This is how normal people do it.”

Comparative anatomists consistently utilized sexual characteristics of the female body as a site of racial difference.  In particular, early sexologists, “constructed the site of racial difference by marking the sexual and reproductive anatomy of the African woman as ‘peculiar’; in their characterization, sexual ambiguity delineated the boundaries of race” (Somerville, 1994, p. 252), suggesting that the female body could be used as a visible tool to rank bodies per societal norms.  Such methodology was similarly utilized to differentiate lesbians from “normal” women.  For instance, the myth of the overly large clitoris in black and lesbian women (Somerville, 1994, p. 253) is an example of the way in which “women’s bodies often demarcate the boundaries between groups that are defined in fundamentally patriarchal terms” (Luibhéid, 2002, p. xix).  Early research related to intersex individuals was also steeped in racial biases, as evidenced by terminology such as “shades of gender” and “sexual half-breeds” (Somerville, 1994, p. 259). 

Early sexologists frequently utilized evolutionary theory and recapitulation as a means of justifying their comparisons and validating their findings.  Much of the medical literature during this time period suggests that sexual characteristics are indicators of evolutionary progress, such that lesbian women and individuals of color were viewed as sexually differentiated and thus less evolved: “According to the logic of recapitulation, adult African Americans and white women were at the same stage as white male children and therefore represented an ancestral stage in the evolution of adult white males” (Somerville, 2000, p. 24).  This contributed to focus on miscegenation and eugenics as reproduction of “desirable” elements of the population corresponded to those of “normal” Americans and thus white, heterosexual, middle- to upper-class, able-bodied, Christian, cis males (Carter, 2007). 

Such views inherently pathologize individuals that exhibit non-“normal” behavior or identities while ignoring the influences of context.  However, feminist research makes central the following questions which inherently question normality throughout all stages of the research process:

Does this work/analysis define the researched as either passive victims or as deviant? Does it reinscribe the research into prevailing representations? […] What are the relationships of domination and subordination which the researcher has negotiated and what are the means through which they are discussed in the research report? […] How are questions of difference dealt with in the research study – in its design, conduct, write up, dissemination? (Bhavnani, 1993, p. 98)

Furthermore, a feminist epistemology sheds light on the ways in which the present is inextricably intertwined with, and must be held accountable to, the past.  For example, Native feminisms centrally address two issues: (1) The U.S. (and many other Western countries) are settler colonial nation-states, and (2) settler colonialism is (always has been, and always will be) a gendered process (Arvin, Tuck, & Morrill, 2013). Thus, “native feminist theories offer new and reclaimed ways of thinking through not only how settler colonialism has impacted Indigenous and settler communities, but also how feminist theories can imagine and realize different modes of nationalism and alliances in the future” (Arvin et al. 2013, p. 9).

Similarly, Chicana feminisms emphasize racialized intersectionalities, theorizing from lived experience as a knowledge base (Pérez Huber & Cueva, 2012). Of critical importance are the ways in which “Chicana feminisms have transformed over time and inscribe into history counternarratives, testimonios, and autohistorias (autobiographies) that preserve and document experiential knowledge of Chicana’s Latinas that have been erased by imperial, colonial, and hegemonic feminist discourses” (Pérez Huber, & Cueva, 2012, p. 395). Thus, the agency, experience, knowledge, history, and voice of both past and present that have been rendered silent in the majority of neoliberal discourse are integral to projects of Chicana feminisms and moving towards a truly collective society.

What does feminism have to do with my research?  Everything.

Written by Cathryn Richmond

References:

Arvin, M., Tuck, E., & Morrill, A. (2013). Decolonizing feminism: Challenging connections between settler colonialism and heteropatriarchy. Feminist Formations, 25(1), 8–34. https://doi.org/10.1353/ff.2013.0006

Carter, J. B. (2007). The search for Norma. In The heart of whiteness: Normal sexuality and race in America, 1880-1940 (pp. 1–41). Durham, NC: Duke University Press. https://doi.org/10.1215/9780822389583-001

Crouch, S. R., McNair, R., & Waters, E. (2017). Parent perspectives on child health and wellbeing in same-sex families: Heteronormative conflict and resilience building. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 26(8), 2202–2214. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-017-0796-3

Duggan, L. (2003). The twilight of equality? Neoliberalism, cultural politics, and the attack on democracy. Beacon Press. Boston: Beacon Press.

Luibhéid, E. (2002). Introduction: Power and sexuality at the border. In Entry denied: Controlling sexuality at the border. Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press. Retrieved from https://www.upress.umn.edu/book-division/books/entry-denied

Pérez Huber, L., & Cueva, B. M. (2012). Chicana/Latina testimonios on effects and responses to microaggressions. Equity and Excellence in Education, 45(3), 392–410. https://doi.org/10.1080/10665684.2012.698193

Somerville, S. (1994). Scientific racism and the emergence of the homosexual body. Journal of the History of Sexuality, 5(2), 243–266. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/3704199

Somerville, S. (2000). Queering the color line: Race and the invention of homosexuality in American culture. Durham, NC: Duke University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781107415324.004

A Bid to Explore the Impact of Misogynoir and Black Women’s Scholastic Attainment//Tahlia Bragg, M.A.

Photo Credit: http://itooamoxford.tumblr.com/

          

           The challenges Black people have endured in pursuit of education, in this country, is no secret. The disparities in economic prosperity and wealth attainment after earning a degree is also no secret. However, what may be a lesser known fact is the lack of representation for this demographic within Psychology. Out of the near 87,000 psychologists actively practicing in the United States, only 5% are Black (APA, 2015). Within this group, the disparity of Black psychologists is lower for women—about 70% in the gender gap in this workforce (APA, 2015). This is not also considering the wage gap that is also present for Black women across occupations. These obstacles, alone, present their own issues with attainting professional success when considering their place in a society that has often oppressed their access to education. However, what is less known is the social stigma of achieving an education within the Black community.

This stigma experienced by Black women is a form of misogynoir. Misogynoir is defined as “anti-Black, racist misogyny Black women experience” (Bailey & Trudy, 2018). More or less, this is the experience of discrimination within the Black community. The acceptance of Black women earning a college and/or graduate education is a socialized norm within our dominant, White society (Johnson, 2017). This is also considered a milestone, of course, within the Black community. Conversely, this socialized acceptance does not necessarily constitute a cultural norm within the Black community. In some ways, a Black woman earning a college degree is potentially negative.

Using the same conceptualization of the feminist construct, the more education a woman achieves, her autonomy and independence increases. There is this fear within the Black community that if a woman is too independent, she will not need a man. Mind you, this is strictly considering heteronormative customs within society. Black women share a unique intersectionality between their identity as Black women and a scholar (Corbin et al., 2018). The intersectionality stands to be further bifurcated within their community. Lower socioeconomic communities historically do not value education as much as communities of higher socioeconomic status (White, 1982); hence, lower degree attainment (Mirowsky, 2017). This presents a gap in the literature on the subject.

Future research must be conducted to explore the impact of misogynoir on the Black women pursuing education. There are many perspectives to be considered such as:

1.      The value of education;

2.      How much of the value is learned?

3.      How is pursuing an education perceived as an obstacle intrapersonally and interpersonally? And,

4.      How is their identity development and formation affected?

Written by Tahlia Bragg, M.A.

References

American Psychological Association. (2015). Demographics of the US psychology workforce:

Findings from the American Community Survey. Washington, DC: Author.

Bailey, M., & Trudy. (2018). On misogynoir: citation, erasure, and plagiarism. Feminist Media

Studies, 1-7.

Corbin, N. A., Smith, W. A., & Garcia, J. R. (2018). Trapped between justified anger and being

the strong Black woman: Black college women coping with racial battle fatigue at historically and predominantly White institutions. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education.

Johnson, Olivia Ann, "Black Girl Magic?: Negotiating Emotions and Success in College Bridge

Programs" (2017). Graduate Theses and Dissertations. http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/6871.   

Mirowsky, J. (2017). Education, social status, and health. Routledge.

White, K. R. (1982). The relation between socioeconomic status and academic

achievement. Psychological bulletin, 91(3), 461.

A Case for “Me-Search”//Lucy De Souza

Picture Citation: Image from https://www.freepik.com/rawpixel-com

It’s a Tuesday morning and I’m in my graduate seminar on specialized topics in social psychology, anxiously thumbing my pen. I think about how sometimes others in the class fidget when they’re eager to share an idea, but in my case, my fiddling is due more to anticipation about how my idea will be received than enthusiasm. Knowing that I’ll be kicking myself in the head later on for failing to speak up, I decide to compromise (with myself) by prefacing my contribution: “This might sound like a me-search question, but…”

Me-search is a colloquial expression for when researchers focus on questions or issues that they themselves have a personal connection to, often implying a non-objective or unscientific relationship between the researcher and the subject matter (Sumerau, 2016; Ayoub & Rose, 2016). Since beginning my graduate studies, learning how to develop research questions and design studies to answer them, me-search is a concept I’ve become familiar with and conflicted by. Is my focus on Black-American women’s experiences problematic, given that I am a Black-American woman myself? Am I able to carry out “good research” if my lived experiences considerably inform my research questions and ways of approaching them?

Questions concerning subjectivity and scientific research are by no means new, especially within the realm of critical race and feminist studies. For instance, one reoccurring concept in this literature is researcher reflexivity. Reflexivity implies that “the experimenter is implicated in the dynamic making of accounts of the world and, consequently, of the world itself” (Morawski, 2005, p.81). In other words, even with scientific methods, researchers’ own biases and perspectives aren’t completely eliminated when conducting psychological research. Importantly, these subjectivities are present for both minority and majority-group researchers…in fact, some argue that majority-group researchers are also partaking in me-search by studying European-American college-age (or WEIRD; Henrich, Heine, & Norenzayan, 2009) samples (Ray, 2016)!

Despite my own apprehensions about sounding “me-search-y,” I ultimately agree with feminist academics who argue subjectivities, especially those of people of color, are good for academia. Take for example Patricia Hill-Collin’s (1986) discussion of the value of self-definition for Black female scholars. Hill-Collins maintains that this self-valuation in research renders Black women’s standpoints visible and resists Black women’s dehumanization in research. Relatedly, having a minority-group perspective as starting point for research is beneficial in more faithfully representing certain experiences. A reliance on cultural schemas for studying members of marginalized groups (rather than their self-definitions) may lead to poor representations of these groups’ experiences in research (Purdie-Vaughns & Eibach, 2008). Additionally, having a personal understanding of a social phenomenon may imply better methodology. Reflexivity offers the ability to reflect on if certain measures make sense for some social groups, but not necessarily others (Cole, 2009).

Given the underrepresentation of non-White psychologists (Lin et al., 2015), me-search conducted by minority scholars is not self-interested, but rather incredibly important. By no means do I mean to imply that minority researchers must study experiences of marginalized groups, but rather there is no shame in it for those who do. Conducting research on issues that impact us might be me-search, but it’s me-search that is vital for a well-rounded body of work and better-representation of our experiences.

Written by Lucy De Souza, M.A.

 References

Ayoub, P., & Rose, D. (2016, April 14). In Defense of “Me” Studies. Retrieved from

https://www.insidehighered.com/views/2016/04/14/scholarly-importance-studying-issues-related-ones

own-identity-essay

Cole, E. R. (2009). Intersectionality and research in psychology. American Psychologist, 64(3), 170-180.

Henrich, J., Heine, S. J., & Norenzayan, A. (2010). The weirdest people in the world? Behavioral and Brain

Sciences, 33(2-3), 61-83.

Hill-Collins, P. (1986). Learning from the Outsider Within: The Sociological Significance of Black Feminist

Thought. Social Problems, 33(6), 14-32.

Lin, L., Nigrinis, A., Christidis, P., & Stamm, K. (2015, July 15). Demographics of the U.S. Psychology Workforce

Findings from the American Community Survey (Rep.). Retrieved

https://www.apa.org/workforce/publications/13-demographics/report.pdf

Morawski, J. G. (2005). Reflexivity and the psychologist. History of the Human Sciences, 18(4), 77-105.

Ray, V. (2016, October 21). The Unbearable Whiteness of Mesearch. Retrieved from

https://www.insidehighered.com/advice/2016/10/21/me-studies-are-not-just-conducted-people-color-essay

Sumerau, J. E. (2016, August 5). Cisgender Me-Search. Retrieved from

https://www.insidehighered.com/advice/2016/08/05/most-research-cisgender-scholars-can-be-defined-mesearch-essay

Purdie-Vaughns, V., & Eibach, R. P. (2008). Intersectional invisibility: The distinctive advantages and disadvantages of

multiple subordinate-group identities. Sex Roles, 59(5), 377-391.

We Need to Talk About Gina: Afro-Latinx Identity, Erasure, and Advocacy//Erika Hanley, M.A.

Photo from https://www.change.org/p/univision-communications-more-afro-latinos-in-latino-television

On social media this past week there was a collection of the usual sports and political debates, photos of turkey and sweet potato pie, and critical tweets aimed toward Jane the Virgin lead Gina Rodriguez. In a recent roundtable interview with Ellen Pompeo, Gabrielle Union, and Emma Roberts regarding women and Hollywood, Rodriguez stated “I get so petrified in this space talking about equal pay especially when you look at the intersectional aspect of it, right? Where white women get paid more than black women, black women get paid more than Asian women, Asian women get paid more than Latina women, and it’s like a very scary space to step into.” Now if Gina was referring to non-Hollywood related pay equity then certainly this statement rings true when comparing the pay of women versus that of non-Latinx white men. Black women are typically paid 61 cents, Native American women 58 cents and Latinx women 53 cents for every dollar paid to white, non-Latinx men. However, in the context of Hollywood, on television the highest paid actress or actor is Latinx actress Sofia Vergara, according to Forbes, with no women of color cracking the top 10 highest paid actresses in film.

While pay equity was seemingly the topic at hand during the roundtable discussion, Rodriguez’s comment brought up an entirely different but just as important topic on the nuances of race and ethnicity and Afro-Latinx identity, something of which she has touched on before. Previously, Gina has questioned the representation of Latinx individuals in Marvel and DC product (Rosaria Dawson, Zoe Saldana, Tessa Thompson, Jay Hernandez, J.R. Ramirez, and Gabriel Luna have all made recent appearances in such product with each identifying as Latinx and three as Afro-Latinx); suggested that her idea of a superhero film would include highlighting Christopher Columbus and colonialism which she referred to as “the migration of the Spaniards and the influence of the mixes of people in South America and in the Caribbean”; and interrupted her Small Foot co-star Yara Shahidi when an interviewer commented to Shahidi “You are just goals for so many young black women,” to which Rodriguez interjected with “So many women. Women.” This has not the first time Black and Afro-Latinx individuals have been erased generally, entertainment industry or not. Twitter users Sofia Quintero (@sofiaquintero) and Chief (@saychieeef) each shared their thoughts regarding her recent comments which included pointing out disparity in representation of Afro-Latinx and dark skinned Latinx actresses, confusing Latinx identity and racial identity, and lack of discussion of power structures. Particularly powerful points made include this statement by Chief “… lighter skinned Latinxs pretend everyone has the same oppression, which erases the unique struggles of Black and Indigenous Latinxs, erases their racial makeup entirely by claiming a homogenous identity…” as well as this one by Quintero “Her comments not only erase the unique struggles of Afro-Latinx artists but they also trivialize just how much African American artists have had to grind to get what they have now, and they, too, are still under/misrepresented.”

As the fastest growing presence in the United States, Latinx individuals comprised 16% of the overall US population in 2010 with numbers rising over the last eight years. Despite the growth of the population within the US, there is a tendency to treat Latinx populations as one uniform group, which disregards the distinctions of culture, race, and dialect. Due to the rigid understanding of the Latinx identity, individuals such as Afro-Latinx people are often absent from conversations surrounding the history and current events of Latinx individuals. Afro-Latinx individuals are those people of African descent in Mexico, Central and South America, the Spanish-speaking Caribbean, and the United States. Afro-Latinx illustrates that Blackness as a racial identity can apply to different cultures and ethnicities. Although there is a distinction between race and ethnicity, the conflating of the two when discussing Latinx people has contributed to the lack of understanding of the Latinx identity and the nullification of the Afro-Latinx experience. The US Census provides one example of how society has reinforced misinterpretation of Latinx identity. The Census provided ‘Latino’ as a single group option starting in 1970 before adding ‘Hispanic’ in 1980. ‘Hispanic’ was removed as a racial category staring in 1997 with Latinx individuals often indicating ‘Other’ when selecting their race. Although the Census specified that ‘Hispanic’ was an ethnic category and encouraged individuals to select one of the five federal racial categorizations, Latinx individuals continued to write in their country of origin as identity markers. The Census therefore measures self-identification and does not coincide with the complexities of race and culture outside of the United States.

Researchers have indicated that Census data related to Afro-Latinx individuals is inaccurate due to the difficulties in categorization on the survey as well as persistent anti-Black racism within the Latinx community as Latinx self-identification could have some inaccuracies due to historical disdain for the Black community, which may not portray a solid count of Afro-Latinx individuals in the US. Anti-Black racism has been present and institutional within the structure of Latinx cultures throughout history, similarly to its presence within United States history. Much of the anti-Black racism stems from European colonization and slavery. Racism, in addition to colorism, is rooted in the practices and ideologies of the Spanish colonizers. The devaluing of culture, language, religion, and phenotypic features of indigenous and African people lead to a societal push for diluting the presence of Black and indigenous populations. A caste system based on color was created to incorporate a hierarchical system of race classification wherein those of darker skin or races that incorporated indigenous and Black individuals were forced to occupy lower economic and social positions. The impact of colonization as well as the caste system has remained. Within the media, light-skinned and/or white-passing Latinx people make up a larger majority of Latinx representation within news outlets, television, and films. In some cases, Italian individuals have portrayed Latinx individuals, which equates Latinx identities with Whiteness, encourages whitewashing and ignores the cultural diversity of the Latinx population. Countries have also historically adopted ‘racial whitening’ to which immigration from European individuals was encouraged and unions between European immigrants and Latinx individuals were supported in an effort to produce children that were light-skinned or white-passing which would contribute to diluting Blackness. A more recent and common instance of anti-Blackness is the degree to which Latinx people talk about how ‘we are all mixed’, a statement that emphasizes the notion of color-blindness and supports the misinformed idea of a uniform Latinx identity. This color-blind stance can create concerns for Afro-Latinx people who are outspoken regarding their identity as they may be seen as disruptive when attempting to have conversations about racial identity with those who claim we are ‘post-racial.’ This stance additionally groups Afro-Latinx individuals and their experiences with those who work, unconsciously or not, to oppress them as well as invalidates their experiences.

           

          Despite the difficulties that could present themselves to Afro-Latinx people in the form of discrimination, colorism, and erasure, Afro-Latinx individuals have a long history of contributions to United States and Black history. Afro-Puerto Rican Arturo Alfonso Schomburg was a major figure during the Harlem Renaissance who advocated for the study of Black history in the United States. Paulina Pedroso was an activist in the 20th century who advocated for labor movements and the end of segregation in Florida and Cuba. Carlos Cooks was a part of the Civil Rights Movement, an ally of Malcolm X, and the founder of the Young Lords Party, a Puerto Rican nationalist group similar to that of the Black Panther Party. Afro-Latinx individuals established Los Angeles. In 1781, 44 settlers arrived to what is now Los Angeles with more than half identifying as Mexicans of African descent. Additionally, before the landmark case of Brown v Board of Education, an Afro-Puerto Rican woman fought segregation in schools seven years prior. Segregation in California school districts was eradicated after Mendez v Westminster as Felicitas Mendez and her husband fought against an Orange Country school that would not let their children attend a ‘white’ school in 1943. Our history and contributions, while not as widespread as they should be, are present and important in understanding Afro-Latinx and US culture. We have been a part of movements for the rights of Latinx and Black individuals as well as committed to uplifting what makes our diverse identity dynamic.

Rodriguez’s comments are a reminder of the need for continued education regarding the vast diversity of the Latinx identity. Gina has done some important work to highlight Latinx talent along with many other Latinx actresses. However, the Latinx identity incorporates more than just a single Latinx experience. There are narratives that have yet to be explored which can be due to structural issues such as white-washing or lack of financial backing of diverse media as well as the misrepresented broad view of what Latinx includes. Afro-Latinx people have existed for centuries and we have a storied history of our contribution to our culture. Beyond just us, there are many other Latinx individuals with stories that have yet to be told or voices that have not been elevated. Rodriguez’s comments are just one example of what has been a long history of erasure and eradication of the existence of Afro-Latinx people and what we have to offer. Whether intentional or not, words and actions have meaning and the past and present has indicated that anti-Blackness is present within the Latinx community. Gina Rodriguez is one individual who is bound to make mistakes however, what is risky about her mistakes is the platform she has access to. Many individuals will watch and consume her words, some without knowing what could be problematic about them. The hope is that with her missteps come education. And if that is not the case, there are many advocates who will continue to press for dismantling a flawed system and awarding proper plaudits and representation for Afro-Latinx people. There is still work to be done to address disparities within our own community and it will take uncomfortable, internal work to begin. We have to ask questions of ourselves, hold ourselves accountable, and hold each other accountable along with questioning the wider systemic issues that have been prevalent for centuries. Should we as advocates aim for equity and inclusion, we must understand who and what we are advocating for as well as encourage growth for those who wish to stand with us.

Written by Erika Hanley, M.A.

References

Busey, C. L., & Cruz, B. C. (2015). A Shared Heritage: Afro-Latin@s and Black History. Social Studies, 106(6), 293.

Haywood, J. M. (2017). Anti-Black Latino racism in an era of Trumpismo. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education (QSE), 30(10), 957–964.

Haywood, J. M. (2017). ‘Latino spaces have always been the most violent’: Afro-Latino collegians’ perceptions of colorism and Latino intragroup marginalization. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education (QSE), 30(8), 759–782.

Kenney, T. (2018). Actress Gina Rodriguez Gets Much Needed History Lesson After Trying to Sugarcoat the Rape, Erasure of African People In Latin America. Retrieved from https://atlantablackstar.com/2018/02/21/actress-gina-rodriguez-gets-much-needed-history-lesson-trying-sugarcoat-rape-erasure-african-people-latin-america/

Robehmed, N. (2018). Highest-Paid TV Actresses 2018: Sofia Vergara Tops Ranking Again With $42.5 Million. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/natalierobehmed/2018/10/25/highest-paid-tv-actresses-2018-sofia-vergara-tops-ranking-again-with-42-5-million/#3267c49f4799

Saychieeef. (2018). This is a convo within Latinx politics: lighter skinned Latinxs pretend everyone has the same oppression, which erases the unique struggles of Black and Indigenous Latinxs, erases their racial makeup entirely by claiming a homogenous identity, all for their political labor. [Twitter Post]. Retrieved from https://twitter.com/saychieeef/status/1066120375900102657

Sofiaquintero. (2018). Oh, one point I meant to make earlier. Her comments not only erase the unique struggles of Afro-Latinx artists but they also trivialize just how much African American artists have had to grind to get what they have now, and they, too, are still under/misrepresented. [Twitter Post]. Retrieved from https://twitter.com/sofiaquintero/status/1066122136950112256

Telles, E. (2018). Latinos, Race, and the U.S. Census. Annals of the American Academy of Political & Social Science, 677(1), 153–164.

The Race Card. (2018). Anti-Blackness in Latinx Countries is Systemic and Reinforced by Deliberate Cultural Policy. Retrieved from http://afropunk.com/2018/01/anti-blackness-latinx-countries-systemic-reinforced-deliberate-cultural-policy/

Velez, J. (2018). How Afro-Latinx People Made Huge Contributions To Black History — Then Got Erased. Retrieved from https://www.bustle.com/p/how-afro-latinx-people-made-huge-contributions-to-black-history-then-got-erased-8305125

Willis, K. (2018). Gina Rodriguez Slammed for Interjecting in Yara Shahidi Interview and Dismissing Black Women’s Influence. Retrieved from https://atlantablackstar.com/2018/09/28/actress-gina-rodriguez-gets-clocked-after-correcting-interviewer-to-include-all-women/

Representation Matters: Moving Beyond Stereotyped Media Portrayals of Black Women//Mercedes Anderson, M.A.

Image source: https://www.cagedbirdmagazine.com/single-post/2017/02/28/The-Facebook-Post-all-Young-Black-Women-Should-See

As early as the 19^th century, the media portrayal of Black women has created animalistic, hypersexual, and aggressive images of women which contribute towards negative perceptions, (Gammage, 2015) and culminate in maintaining figurative invisibility of Black women (Helms, 2017). A few of the historical stereotypes of Black women include the mammy, the jezebel, and the sapphire (Gammage, 2015). The mammy characterizes one type of Black woman as non-threatening, overweight, and unfeminine. For example, the characters in the movie the Help shows women in roles such as housekeeper, nanny, or cook, (Speight, Isom, & Thomas, 2013).  On the other hand, the Jezebel stereotype characterizes Black women as sexually impulsive and immoral (Gay, 1999). Finally, we have the sapphire who is depicted as loud and hostile (Bell, 1992). These Jezebel and Sapphire stereotyped images of Black women were reinforced by their portrayal in 21^st century media such as reality tv shows and hip-hop music videos, (Gammage, 2015).

The negative effects of stereotyped images African American women on TV have been well documented in the literature. Research indicates that exposure to negative stereotypes of Black individuals may negatively influence both majority group and minority group viewers perceptions of African Americans, (Punyanunt-Carter, 2008). Pellerin (2011) found that over 60% of participants in the study viewed African American women as violent and hypersexual, indicating that public opinion of Black women may also reflect the negative assumptions about this population. Psychological consequences at the individual level indicated that these images may contribute towards internalized ideas of racism and sexism (Gammage, 2015). It prompts the question of how are young Black girls and other girls of color supposed to imagine themselves in positive roles, when these images are essentially absent from the media they consume?

In a photo-biographical study focused on redefining Black womanhood, participants identified themes of: Education and talent, community responsibility, beauty, family and love, and self-pride and joy, as desired representations of Black Women. Recently, media representations have begun to embrace positive examples of Black women that align more closely with these desired representations. For example, I remember my first-time watching Issa Rae’s Awkward Black Girl videos on YouTube as well as her show Insecure and feeling like I connected with an on-screen character for the first time. Many other Black women and other women of color have praised the show for creating an empowering representation of Black women who are working towards their goals in a non-profit sector, navigating the realistic challenges in relationships, and addressing the real-life challenges women of color face. Other media representations shine a positive light on Black women, depicting them in empowering roles such as lawyers, superheroes, dedicated parents, and tech experts. Seeing other Black women in roles outside of the stereotyped images typically portrayed in media may serve as inspiration to younger audiences.

Although there are an increasing amount of positive representation of Black women in the media, there is still a long way to go towards the journey of reaching inclusivity in the media. A commitment towards increasing representation of Black women with intersectional identities is a natural next step in moving beyond stereotyped images. Efforts to cultivate positive self-image amongst Black women can be accomplished through increased media literacy, multicultural education, and increased representation of positive images. As feminist researchers, scholars, and leaders we can utilize these avenues to challenge oppressive images of Black women in the media, and instead move towards promoting affirmative empowering representations of Black and African American women.

Written by: Mercedes Anderson, M.A.

References

Bell, E. L. (1992). Myths, stereotypes, and realities of Black women: A personal reflection. The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 28(3), 363-376.

Gammage, M. M. (2015). Representations of black women in the media : the damnation of black womanhood. Retrieved from https://ebookcentral-proquest-com.ezproxy1.lib.asu.edu

Gay, P. L. (1999). Slavery as a sexual atrocity. Sexual Addiction & Compulsivity, 6, 5–10.

Helms, J. (2017). Counseling Black Women: Understanding the Effects of Multilevel Invisibility

In M. Kopala & M. Keitel (Eds.), Handbook of Counseling Women (pp.219-233). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage

Pellerin, Marquita M. (2011) “Perceptions of African American Females: An Examination of Black Women’s Images in Rap Music Videos.” Diss. Temple University. 2011. Web.

Punyanunt-Carter, N. (2008). The Perceived Realism of African American Portrayals on Television. Howard Journal of Communications, 19(3), 241-257.

Speight, S. L., Isom, D. A., & Thomas, A. J. (2013). From Hottentot to Superwoman: Issues of identity and mental health for African American women