Ain't I A Woman: Black Women and Feminism

The Black Power movement began in the 1960s and emphasized Black pride and the empowerment of Black people in the United States. The movement created a space for Black Americans who felt that the civil rights movement’s emphasis on nonviolent protest did not do enough to dismantle racial oppression. Malcolm X, a major figure of the Black Power movement, argued that Black Americans needed to develop their own economic and political authority, independent of assimilation into white culture. hooks criticizes the Black Power movement for expanding the influence of Black patriarchy.

The civil rights movement stretched from the 1950s to the 1960s, although many argue that this movement has not ended. The movement focused on challenging institutionalized racism by organizing nonviolent protests and legal actions. Some of the movement’s many achievements include the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which barred discrimination in public spaces, and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which guaranteed suffrage to all Black Americans. hooks asserts that the civil rights movement failed to consider the intersectionality of racism and gender and aligned with the patriarchal values of white culture.

Critical race theory (CRT) is an area of academic study and critical lens that examines how racism is institutionalized through policy and law. Critical race theory purports that racism is systemic and that racial bias pervades all aspects of culture. Although hooks did not utilize this term, her work reflects the theory that developed alongside her critical work. Kimberlé Crenshaw, along with Neil Gotanda and Stephanie Phillips, first used the term in 1989. Critical race theory has been the subject of recent national attention in the United States by policymakers who argue that the field of study is divisive and targets white people, though these critiques frequently use the term as a broad buzzword and do not engage with actual CRT scholarship.

Feminism is a broad term used to describe movements that promote gender equality. There have been various feminist movements throughout history, including the women’s suffrage movement and women’s liberation movements. Areas of focus for feminist activism have included the right to vote, equal pay, abortion rights, and sexual harassment. Mainstream feminist movements often excluded Black women’s particular concerns—a major focus in Ain’t I a Woman—and bell hooks’s work is part of a wave of Black feminism that began in the 1980s.

Intersectionality, first coined by professor Kimberlé Crenshaw, is an academic term that describes how many aspects of one’s identity connect to each other, including race, class, gender, and sexual orientation. In particular, these marginalized identities are specific and intertwined; for example, Black women, white women, working-class women, and wealthy women all experience patriarchal oppression differently. hooks's work emphasizes how Black women experience the intersectionality of racism, sexism, and classism.

Jim Crow laws, established in the 19th and 20th centuries, were used to maintain apartheid after the abolition of slavery. Named after a racist depiction of a Black man by white actor Thomas D. Rice, Jim Crow laws enforced an extensive list of restrictions, including racially segregating schools and transportation and banning interracial marriages between Black and white individuals. hooks discusses the impact of Jim Crow on Black individuals at length in Ain’t I a Woman, as well as the gendered aspects of these laws.

Patriarchy refers to a social and cultural system in which men are in positions of power over women and children. Feminist theory examines how patriarchy infuses all aspects of culture, including policies and socialization. In Ain’t I a Woman, hooks discusses how patriarchy is rooted in white supremacy, but patriarchal ideas have permeated Black communities to elevate Black men above Black women.

The term "imperialism” refers to the extension of power and domination by a nation or group of people over another. Imperialism is closely related to colonization, in which imperialist forces create new colonies in conquered lands. hooks uses the term “racial imperialism” to describe how white supremacy extends its scope of power and influence.

Reconstruction is the historical period following the abolishment of slavery in the United States. Ranging from 1861 to 1900, Reconstruction describes how the country integrated or failed to integrate Black Americans into various social and political contexts. hooks discusses this era at length in Ain’t I a Woman.

The women's liberation movement was a collective form of political activism that lasted from the 1960s to the 1980s that centered on equality for women. The women’s liberation movement is also called second-wave feminism. hooks focuses on the limitations of the women’s liberation movement in this book as its scope was not intersectional and frequently excluded poor women and women of color.