Vo, Tiffany

The experiences that black men and black women faced during slavery had their differences as well. For instance, black women were victims of rape and domestic violence. As referenced to the reading, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, Harriet Jacobs accentuates the lack of voice that black women have against white men. Jacobs addresses the constant escape and the struggles she had to endure in order to protect her family. In addition to this, Angela Davis asserts the sexual abuse and the perceived role of black women in slavery. Through this, it was revealed that slave owners took advantage of “the slave woman’s reproductive capacity for replenishing and increasing the domestic slavery population” (p.9). That being said, this shows how slave owners had power to control their bodies as they referred them as “breeders”. Moreover, despite the similarities of sharing the same oppression, both black men and black women experienced a variety of different methods that occurred during slavery.

The oppression that black women and white women share is the oppression from men. Their voices are often disregarded and can be perceived as property that belongs to men. For instance, in class we discussed how women lose their identities once they marry a man. In addition to this, the topic of sexual abuse and rape also highlights the oppression of women because of the potential threat of exposing their experiences. Although both black and white women share the inferiority against men, black women still remain as the most powerless on the spectrum. There are experiences of slavery that white women at the time never experienced; for instance, black women had to work around slavery even when they were going through pregnancy. According to Davis’s reading, after black women give birth they are expected to return to the fields immediately. Experiences like these highlight the difference between being able to raise children in a healthy environment versus “being forced to leave their infants lying on the grand near the area [black mothers] worked” (p.10).

It is often taught to us about the story of Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad in school. However, there are more stories that accentuate the determination to resist slavery. In Harriet Jacobs’s reading, she accentuates the theme of resisting slavery by refusing accept her slave owner’s sexual demands. In the reading, Jacobs highlights the perseverance of keeping her family safe from an obsessed slave owner who attempts to control her and her children’s life. She eventually lived in a small attic for seven years until she was able to escape the slave owner. Through this, Jacobs not only resisted slavery by taking initiative of escaping for her and her family, but she also resisted the sexual harassment that was brought upon her. The resistance against anti-Black racism can be exemplified by the Survived and Punished project. The purpose of this project is to release the “Black, Native and immigrant survivors of domestic violence that have been wrongfully incarcerated” (Survived and Punished, 2016). This more so resists the issue of racism and sexism that is brought upon women who were threatened by their partners and resolved to self-defense.

Now that I have learned more about this unit, I feel more comfortable with my openness to learn. In schools, students are only briefly taught about slavery and the general concept of it. However, this is the issue that contributes to the continuation of racism in the U.S. Even after slavery was abolished, racism, discrimination and hate against the Black community was not abolished with it and it still occurs throughout the country. If children are not educated on this issue, they may feel the lack of motivation to resist the racism that happens in their community. As reparations for the harm slavery has caused in the U.S., I intend on implementing lessons towards students who may not be aware of our history. I believe this would help future generations become knowledgeable about real world issues that occur every day.

In addition to reparations, considering I am a college student and is living through events that will be learned in future generations, it is a great time to take this opportunity to become more involve in support of resolving societal issues. Initially I would reserve my values and beliefs to myself, however, I noticed how huge the community is supporting of my views which makes me feel more comfortable to join in alliance to resist the current racism that is present. Ways that I could be more involved is to participate in workshops that would help me learn more about how I can help the Black community today. In addition to this, I would be able to spread the information I learned to others on social media or within the college organizations I am in.

Even though I believe that the slavery in the past has permanently left an imprint on U.S. history, I feel like being able to educate others and yourself on this matter is essential. That being said, I hope that my efforts for reparations to spread awareness among students and myself would influence others to do the same and become more mindful on the subjects of slavery, racism, and violence.