A Coloured Woman Leading a White Man's World

We’ve always heard that some women are great at surviving in a man’s world. Davis is a colored woman, not only surviving but leading in a white man’s world. Angela Davis, strongly aligned herself with idea of nipping problems in the bud. Punishing individuals was not the most effective way of reaching solutions for activists like Davis. The main target for criticism highlighted by women like her, were institutions that fostered discriminatory ideology. If black women were not equipped with skills to work professionally, the blame lied solely on state institutions and patriarchy that prevented them from acquiring those skills. Similarly, if black women were not provided equal rights even in comparison to black men, it was the structured societal discrimination that put them in such a position. Davis had no time for dealing with each individual scenario of violation of rights, while new ones continued to persist, being part of an endless cycle of solving one case to find another around the corner, to her this achieved nothing.

Davis was actively trying to figure out the root cause behind the subjugation of black people, especially women. She argued that this wasn’t a problem that was created, but has been embedded within us since the time of slavery. Black women being the inferior race and gender have supported black liberation movements, only to find themselves whipped by another race/gender, in this scenario it is black men. She argues against the most ironic statements in history, that slavery made men and women equal. Davis counters these claims beautifully, by stating that comparing an oppressed race to women, making them do the same labour for the gains of a white man, is not equality. You had to bring down black men several steps to make them equal to women rather than elevate women. This isn’t a favor but a grotesque form of manipulation. It is also similar to the absurd arguments South Asian women hear, to be compared to candy wrappers to prove the importance of piousness and modesty.

Davis is also able to shut down arguments by showing their interconnection. Slavery is not a phenomenon of the past, similarly women rights aren’t simply acquired by making laws but also empowering women enough to be able to live and sustain those laws. Davis is not privy to injustice, she’s the center of it but her solution is making herself powerful enough, to tackle it when it crosses her path again. Female slaves were subjected to rape, both by white and black men. The only way to prevent the black man from taking advantage of his women once he attains rights is to make sure the women receives the same rights. While men were subjected to work, women faced a double burden which came from expecting them to reproduce as well. Dehumanization is the root cause for committing atrocities and Davis fights avidly to liberate women so they aren’t dehumanized any longer.