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Assignment 8

Thanks to the previous ways of racial domesticity, many african american women have had poignant ways of looking at white life and household realities. Working extremely closely, and sometimes living with white families while still not being part of the family was cause for an understanding that could have only come from black women of the time. Many black women were responsible for their employer’s domestic duties around the home such as cooking and cleaning, and were often considered second mothers to the white children they had such significant parts in raising. However, regardless of their hard work and importance in these households, black women were often disrespected, ignored and discriminated against, and therefore left to feel a harsh distinction between themselves and their employers. This dichotomy of physically being a firsthand witness into the daily home lives of these families, while still not being accepted and held to the same regard as white society gave black women very important and unique sociological insight on this insider/outsider way of life. It was this very up-close and personal position that made it clear to black women that blacks and whites were not separated due to intellect, intelligence, class, or anything having to do with merit. The separation was solidified as pure racism, discrimination and oppression. This not only gave african american women grounds to reject the status quo, but granted many a much stronger sense of inner strength and self-value.

This particular insight is incredibly important to the way scholars and contemporaries of modern times look back on this time period of racism because of the time period’s strong favoring of white, male ideals and interests. Both women and black people of the time were so often silenced, oppressed and denied of their voices. Therefore, this exclusive insight was crucial in the further liberation of black women.