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Assignment 1

In chapter 3 of Women, Race & Class Angela Y. Davis throughly analyzes and critiques the women’s movement. Davis discusses the actions of Sojourner Truth at the 1851 women’s convention (1981:60). At this event Sojourner Truth reminds the white women that black women are exactly that – women. Throughout this movement, white women would  advocate for their middle-class obstacles. The middle class white women would often not work but would have the skills to do so as many had the privilege and access to education . Thus, the white women would promote the idea of having equal rights in order to work. Yet, doing so they ignored the already working class women who endured abhorrent working conditions and painfully long days (Davis, 1981:54). Moreover, they ignored the black women who for years have been working alongside men but were ignored because of race.

Sojourner Truth’s “Ain’t I a Women?” speech was an embodiment of the troubles within the movement. The speech itself was intended to unite black and white women as it reminded the listener that women for decades have worked without the help of men and furthermore bore children. Instead this address displayed the actions of the white women as Gage was told to not let her speak on the second day of the convention (Davis, 1981:63). Truth’s speech was intended to bring white women, black women, immigrant-working women together but she was met with negative response and backlash because of racism and classism. Nonetheless, Truth forced the white middle-class women to be uncomfortable and become aware that their beliefs have halted the great effort to become one and fight against white male supremacy.

The white women of the movement ignored the fight that the black women had to endure. They ignored the fight that the working class had to endure because they could not understand that they did not have money or education to fall back on. Davis wants us to be aware of the separation within a movement that was intended to unify.