Torn Between My Two Selves: African American Women Still Having to Negotiate What Comes First - Their Race or Their Gender

Posted: 2 Nov 2011

See all articles by Claudia Nelson

Claudia Nelson

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Date Written: October 31, 2011

Abstract

This paper delves into the socio-political implications of being both African American and a woman in the United States in the 21st Century. The 2008 presidential election and 2010 mid-term election cycles are used as backdrops to analyzing the collective political influence black women have on the local, state and national political landscapes. My study seeks to tease out the feasibility and relevance of contemporary black women’s activism by examining their political behavior, thought, and action during the recent surge and then decline of political engagement since the historic election of President Obama in 2008. I hypothesize that although black women are a minority within two minorities, and their history and status in America have been at best peculiar, it is my position that they have garnered enough collective power to systematically challenge the status quo, impact public policy, and influence the politics of the nation. The convergence of race and gender as it intersects and impacts the socio-political lives of African American women is still a relevant research topic in the 21st century.

Keywords: African American women, black women, activism, political engagement

Suggested Citation

Nelson, Claudia, Torn Between My Two Selves: African American Women Still Having to Negotiate What Comes First - Their Race or Their Gender (October 31, 2011). NCOBPS 43rd Meeting Paper, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1952257

Claudia Nelson (Contact Author)

affiliation not provided to SSRN ( email )

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