Paradigm of black politics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Paradigm of black politics - Essay Example Thus, instead of identifying the simple reasons why Blacks are unable to achieve political goals through legitimate means, the Black feminists introduced a new way of thinking not only in terms of race but also in terms of class and gender, which, according to these authors, are inseparable. As a result, it seems that the best paradigm for understanding Black culture within the United States also applies quite well to the study of Black political advancement since the struggles of the 1960s, and reflects the struggle African-American people now face. The black feminist perspective is an integrated approach that focuses not specifically on gender, or on race, or on class, but on these factors as mutually reinforcing aspects of one problem. This problem is the lack of progress in having Black representatives in government. One key aspect, or insight, from the Black feminist movement coming out the 1970s was that Black Nationalism and institutional racism (from whites) were part of the same gendered problem, both with misogynistic and masculine characteristics (Burns). Taking efforts to expose and correct this problem, the Black feminists offered a paradigm and a perspective for understanding Black politics at the time and throughout the transitory period. This perspective, which moves beyond the monolithic â€Å"Black† used in the rhetoric of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X, allowed students of politics to mark gender distinctions when it comes to significant issues, like the specific social welfare policies for A frican-American women and the drug laws that disproportionately target African-American men (Collins). Patricia Hill Collins, a Black feminist, is famous for using this perspective to analyze new ideas for black liberation. However, since the influential mainstream feminist movement of the 1970s and 1980s, the Black feminist paradigm might not be so useful for looking at the political situation. Changes in