Black People : Women Are the Key to Collectivity

[river]

In times past men in diverse societies have divised ways to keep women under their control. If it wasn't the chastity belt it was female circumcision and if not that it was foot binding. Keeping women under stern oppression may seem to strengthen a people but the key word here is "seem." How does one speak of freeing a people while leaving half of that people in bondage? In such a society where the collective good is good for everybody except the women (and you might say the Africans, or any other group) the women see collectivity as the enemy and they fight for individual freedom as their greatest friend.

We are here in the 21st century. We will not go back to second class citizenry in the name of the collective good. It is a pleasure to submit to someone who has the gift and skill and knowledge to meet the needs of a situation. If I am that someone at any given time and a man refuses to submit to me just because he is a man and I am a woman how does that contribute to the collective good? At that point I stand back and let the fool be a fool but I make sure my needs are met.

It's easy to point fingers and say who started what and who did whaat to whom first and what they said about your mama all day long but this won't get us anywhere. We have all been hurt and badly damaged to the poiint where many of us have all but given up on the present generation of children.

If perception is reality how do we apply the Law of Attraction to the problems of gender, race and posterity?

 

[Knowledge Seed]

This sounds like some feminism stuff. African women never were 2nd class citizens to the men.

Africans understand that men know diddly boo about business. That's why the women run the market.

Most African towns that still operates on the traditional political structure, have two chieftancy positions. One is occupied by a man and the other is occupied by his wife.

From the age of about 7 years old, boys and girls alike, join gender societies so they could be taught to "play their role" in society. After the gender society, comes the priesthood, in which men and women, are still equals. Ex: Babalawo means "Father of secrets/mysteries" Iyanifa means "Mother of secrets/mysteries." If an elder priest is deemed worthy enough, they can join the council of elders (consisting of males and females), who hold more political clout than the king.

 

[river]

Hey brotha Knowledge,

No this is not feminism.

How did we get to know about female circumsicion if it were not enough of a problem for African women to speak out. It may be said that those African cultures that adopted Islamic and jewish religions also adopted the patriarchy of these religions. Matriarchy and matrilineal are two different things.

Fasting forward to modern America it can also be said that many African American men have adopted the oppressive ways of white men. Having no one else to oppress they opressed us. Could white feminists have come into outr neighborhoods and told us anything if African American men were not trying to salvage their stolen manhood by being playas and beaters.

Any discourse about racial healing must include the concerns of African women and an acknowledgement of gender oppression if it is to bear fruit. Dismissing this with labels like feminism will only slow our progress.

Some brothas will see the truth of what I am saying and some will continue to try to wiggle out of their responsibility the same way the white man tries to wiggle out of his responsibility for our oppression as a people. Brotha, you know this. Every argument you could make against me has been made against you. I have heard whites say that there are African Americans who make more money than they do. have better homes than they do, get hired by Affirmative Action, etc, so when we say we are oppressed they say talk to the hand. That is what they say to you, Now what are you trying to say to me?

 

[Khasm13]

i see what your saying sister river....
and i agree that black men in the past have
translated their anger and frustration to the black woman....
a horrible chain that was started by the white man...
does this make it right...no!!!
just like a child that was raped then turns into a raper isn't right...
but no where do i see the black woman being a second hand citizen...
no more than us black men....
but i will agree with u on the overall gist of this thread...
black women do hold the key...
because when it's all said and done...
the black man will do anything to make u ours...
it's just a shame that this land has corrupted our original nature...
and made some of us enemies...
i hope the day comes when we stand together and triumph in this strange land...

one love
khasm

 

[river]

i see what your saying sister river....
and i agree that black men in the past have
translated their anger and frustration to the black woman....
a horrible chain that was started by the white man...
does this make it right...no!!!
just like a child that was raped then turns into a raper isn't right...
but no where do i see the black woman being a second hand citizen...
no more than us black men....
but i will agree with u on the overall gist of this thread...
black women do hold the key...
because when it's all said and done...
the black man will do anything to make u ours...
it's just a shame that this land has corrupted our original nature...
and made some of us enemies...
i hope the day comes when we stand together and triumph in this strange land...

one love
khasm

Hey brotha khasm,

Always good to see you.

That's what it's about standing together. In truth many African American women have also blamed our men for their frustrations and angers.

I am reading Spirits of the Passage by Madeline Burnside. It describes the transatlantic slave trade in detail. According to this book even on the slave ships the cruelty of whites has caused us to turn against each other.

For hundreds of years whites have been using the divide and conquer ta cctic of giving one group special priviledges over the other group. Back then they used it to divide tribes. Today they use it to drive a wedge between our men and our women. Why have we been falling for the same trick for hundreds of years? It's not because we're dumb. But the knowledge is not being passed down. How can a people progress if every generation has to re-invent the wheel for itself?