Joan Morgan @ A New Spelling of My Name: Black & Latina Feminism Today

CCCADImedia 

The Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute (CCCADI) 

in partnership with Parlour Magazine
Presents
6th Annual Women of Power Conference
 

A New Spelling of My Name: Black & Latina Feminism Today

Who Needs Feminism?

 

 

 

 

 

 

WUNC-91.5 | The State of Things with Frank Stasio

Who Needs Feminism?

A group of Duke University undergraduates decided to fulfill the requirements for a group project by asking their peers on campus, "Who needs feminism?" To their surprise, the world answered them. Their project’s Tumblr blog has received more than 80,000 visits from 144 countries and 11,000 people have "liked" their page on Facebook. The project would not have reached an international audience had it not been for social media. What are the possibilities and limitations that this new platform opens up for feminism? And now that they've gathered all of this momentum, what is next for them and the feminist movement? Host Frank Stasio is joined by Ashley Tsai and Catharine Kappauf, undergraduates at Duke; Rachel Seidman, adjunct lecturer at Duke and associate director of the Southern Oral History Program; Ranjana Khanna,  Duke professor and director of the Women’s Studies department; and Lisa Levenstein, associate professor of history at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. 

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Horbal Lecture @ Augsburg College (MN) features Professor Mark Anthony Neal | #AwardTour

Horbal Lecture @ Augsburg College features Professor Mark Anthony Neal

The 2011 Anne Pederson Women's Resource Center Koryne Horballecture features Duke Universityprofessor and author Mark Anthony Nealspeaking on the topic: "What the Hell is a Male Feminist?" The lecture is Thursday, November 3, at 11 a.m. in the Hoversten chapel.

Mark Anthony Neal is a professor of Black popular culture in the department of African and African American studies at Duke University, author of Blues Nation (2003) and New Black Man: Rethinking Black Masculinity (2005). Neal is engaged in interdisciplinary scholarly work in the fields of African-American, cultural, and gender studies that draws upon modes of inquiry informed by the fields of literary theory, urban sociology, social history, postmodern philosophy, Queer theory and most notably popular culture. His broad project is to interrogate popular culture—music, television, film, and literature—produced within the context of Afro-diasporic expressive cultures. It is his belief that popular culture represents an arena of knowledge that has a profound impact on societal and cultural norms in the United States and globally, but one that has been largely underscrutinized as a "serious" site of scholarly and theoretical study. He also believes that commercial popular culture represents a distinct site of ideological production; thus, his work aims to engage the ideological undercurrents within commercial popular culture particularly within the context of race, gender, sexuality, class, and ethnicity.

Introducing the Courageous Woman Awards

At the convocation, the Women's Resource Center will present the first Courageous Woman Awards. These awards  acknowledge and recognize women who see injustice or need, act on it, take risks in order to "do the right thing," and raise their voices to champion women. Founded in 2011 by Friends of the Anne Pederson Women's Resource Center at Augsburg College, the awards program recognizes women who courageously strive for social justice and peace on campus or in the wider community and whose efforts, be they small or large, make a difference to women. The 2011 awards are given in memory of Jessica Nathanson whose life exemplified what it means to be a courageous woman.

Do We Need Feminism in 2011?

Yes, says noted feminist scholar Beverly Guy-Sheftall. From young American girls writing rappers to protest lyrics about bitches and hos, to the women standing up in Egypt, Libya and Ivory Coast, feminism is indeed alive, well -- and needed -- in the 21st century.

Do We Need Feminism in 2011?
by Beverly Guy-Sheftall | The Root.com

As part of Women's History Month, The Root is exploring the role that feminism plays in African-American lives, from its role in hip-hop to black men embracing the term to radical women who waged war against oppression over the years. We asked noted scholar Beverly Guy-Sheftall, the former president of the National Women's Studies Association and a pioneer in black feminism, to weigh in on where she sees the movement heading today. Here are her thoughts.

As we celebrate Women's History Month this March, it is important to reflect upon the continuing struggle of women around the globe to live better lives -- in peace and with justice. Given the horrific circumstances facing our sisters and brothers over the past weeks in Tunisia, Bahrain, Egypt, Ivory Coast and now Libya, it is imperative that we envision a world in which every one of us is free from the ravages of poverty, greed, discrimination, war and authoritarian regimes.

It is my black feminist politics that propels me always to think deeply about the human condition: global realities, especially as they affect people of color, women and children; and the urgency of our need to eliminate racism, sexism, classism, ableism, homophobia, religious intolerance, xenophobia and all other oppressions that plague humans wherever they live.

Despite the importance of the politics of feminism and all of the ways in which it addresses oppression of all varieties, I still find myself having to defend my allegiances to the goals of women's movements around the world. I am still challenged about my self-identification as a black feminist. So I want to say what I mean when I use this term.

For me the label "black feminist" enables me to make visible the emancipatory vision and acts of resistance among women who articulate their understanding of the complex nature of black womanhood (in all its diversity); the interlocking nature of the oppressions we suffer; and the necessity of sustained struggle in our quest for self-determination, the liberation of black people and gender equality. It encourages me to express solidarity with other women and people of color engaged in local and global struggles for emancipation.

As I ponder the future of black feminism in the U.S., this is what I see: It is imperative that we find ways to convince black communities -- especially black youths -- that, in the words of bell hooks, "feminism is for everybody." What this means is that we must develop an abhorrence for violence against women and girls and declare a moratorium on rape.

Read the Full Essay @ The Root.com

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Beverly Guy-Sheftall is the founder and director of the Women's Research & Resource Center at Spelman College, where she is also the Anna Julia Cooper Professor of Women's Studies. She has edited or co-edited Who Should Be First? Feminists Speak Out on the 2008 Presidential Election; Still Brave: The Evolution of Black Women's Studies; and Words of Fire: An Anthology of African-American Feminist Thought. She is also co-founder of SAGE: A Scholarly Journal on Black Women.

Am I The Only Feminist Who Liked Perry’s “For Colored Girls”?

Am I The Only Feminist Who Liked Perry’s “For Colored Girls”?
by Janell Hobson

I doubt that I am, and judging from the mostly black female audience that filled the theater where I watched Tyler Perry’s film adaptation of Ntozake Shange’s celebrated “choreopoem,” I believe the word-of-mouth among black women is that Perry got more things right than wrong in presenting the classic narrative on black women’s blues.

Other Ms. reviewers, such as Mako Fitts and Linda Villarosa, point out some crucial problems with Perry’s take–from homophobia to a conservative dismissal of positive black female sexuality to a simplistic portrayal of black men. Over at The Root, Salamisha Tillet argues that Perry severely undermines black feminism through his negative portrayal of Janet Jackson’s character, Jo, a black professional woman.

I can’t help but wonder, though, at the chorus of critics not previously invested in black feminist issues who gave the film overwhelming negative reviews. From Roger Ebert to the early reviews offered in Variety and Hollywood Reporter to Courtland Milloy who wishes to speak “for black men who have considered homicide” after watching the movie, reviewers have condemned the film as “cluttered,” “man-hating” and a “train wreck.”

What none of the critics–feminist or otherwise–pointed out was the transformation that occurred when Perry grounded the abstract poetry of Shange in cinematic realism. On-stage monologues about secret abortions and abuse allow us to go with our imaginations and feel the poems, but seeing these scenes through candid film shots was downright traumatizing. Whatever art and lyricism are conveyed in poetry, there is nothing like the gritty reality of the motion picture. While Shange’s words offer great humor and great pain, along with rainbows and rhythmic movements in jazz and salsa, Perry’s adaptation goes a step further by transporting the dance and the words into concrete scenarios played by concrete characters with names, addresses, relatives, partners and careers.

Read the the Full Essay @ Ms. Blog