February was Black History Month, an annual governmentally recognized observance celebrating the culture and accomplishments of Black Americans. Black History Month originated in the United States and is now celebrated in several other predominantly white countries as a means of uplifting Black voices.
The end of Black History Month coincides with the beginning of March, which is Women’s History Month. Women’s History Month is also nationally recognized and highlights the fight for women’s rights.
Despite the overlap between women’s and African Americans’ movements, the two have been historically less collaborative than one might expect. Movements for women’s rights, particularly, are often exclusive of Black and marginalized women.
On Aug. 18, 1920, the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution was ratified, guaranteeing women of voting age the right to vote. However, not all women benefited from this—Black women received no explicit protection from the amendment and were still prohibited from voting based on their race. Despite contributions to the women’s suffrage movement by Black women such as Mary Church Terrell and Ida B. Wells, Black women did not gain the right to vote until the passing of the Voting Rights Act in 1965.
Suffragette Elizabeth Cady Stanton initially worked alongside Fredrick Douglass, a Black man and activist, but their companionship fell apart after disagreements over the 15th Amendment granting Black men the right to vote. Stanton’s opposition to the amendment reflects the disregard for people of color in early feminist movements, as she referred to men of color and immigrants as “the lower orders of men” in an address preceding its passing.
In addition, the Civil Rights Movement was riddled with sexism. Black women played essential roles in organizing and advocating for racial inequality, but some women reported feeling as though their concerns about gender were dismissed by men in the movement. Within civil rights organizations, women tended to be limited to clerical roles or permitted only membership, not leadership. Some Black women also experienced sexual harassment and assault coming from inside and out of the movement.
Black women live at the intersection of two social movements—two movements that sometimes work in opposition to each other. In celebrating Black History Month and Women’s History Month, we urge you to consider the past and future of the fight for racial and gender equality. Even more so, it is crucial to recognize how the two intertwine and how they can be achieved in conjunction.
