Asher Roth and African American Feminism? Only Twitter Could Bring The Two Together.

In April, before performing at Rutgers University, Hip-Hip artist Asher Roth “tweeted” on his Twitter page: “Been a day of rest and relaxation, sorry twitter – hanging out with nappy headed hoes”. This comment from Roth just two years shy of Don Imus’s similar comment made about the Rutgers women’s basketball team, referringto them as “nappy headed hoes” which caused a fair amount of controversy, leading to Imus losing his job. Roths comments sparked a rash of commets from not only his Twitter followers and soon Roth apologized via Twitter stating that: “I’m extremely apologetic to anyone who took offense to my immature, bad joke.”

In my opinion, only a large social internet community such as Twitter could fuse together the worlds of a white semi-successful Hip-Hop such as Roth and African American feminist icons like Rebecca Walker. Furthermore, in my opinion, comments like this make Patricia Hill Collins’ notions of African American feminist thought even more legitimate and necessary in our post-modern society.

After reviewing Asher Roth’s “tweets” and “The Great Illmatic”, I believe that if what is illustrated in these comments illustrates the post-modern approach to African American Women’s identities, leaving them to be defined by semi-(allow me to repeat SEMI) famous rappers and old white sports anchors I want no part of it. These two are prime examples of African American women’s identities being illustrated through controlling images which allow others to define African American women, most often, in very negative ways.

As I do not believe things such as Roth’s “tweet” are in anyway a reflection of African American womens identity; I do not believe this approach is any reason for African American women, especially, to dismiss the legitamacy of Patricia Hill Collins’ notion of African American feminist thought. In a world where these controlling images are rampid in the media and across the internet, it is still ever so essential for African American women to continue to define themselves in positve ways as a means of combatting the negative images portrayed of them, even small insults like that made by Asher Roth. African American womens’ dismissal of this notion of African American feminist thought will inevitably lead to controllingimages being the only images availiable to the world of African American women, causing them to continuously be defined as “nappy headed hoes.”

Although I am as sure as “The Great Illmatic” that Asher Roth probably misspoke when he made these comments, I do agree that he might have become too comfortable with his GROWING status as a Hip-Hop artist and that this is a key example of where we as a society are at concerning issues of race. To me this is reminiscent of Tim Wise’s notion of “Racism 2.0”, a new breed of racism which is not the same overt racism we have historically seen, but one which goes unseen by most majority people when they as Illmatic suggests, get too comfortable, clumsy and lose sight of boundaries when making “jokes.” Although Roth’s status as a racist is is unlikely, it is apparent that he has become caught in the tangled web of this new version of racism. In learning to use his public voice in places such as Twitter where thousands of people can “follow” a string of 150 character thoughts projected by public figures and personal friends alike, I would urge up-and-coming artists like Roth to exercise caution with his “tweets.”

This same postmodern approach to African American women’s identities that should be encouraging African American women to continue to uplift the views of Patricia Hill Collins about combatting controlling images simultaneously encourages White men such as Asher Roth to dismiss the legitamacy of Patricia Hill Collins’ notions of African American feminist thought, whether they do so consciously or not. The fact that Roth could “jokingly” display such a disempowering image of African American women as he did with his “nappy headed hoes” comment, shows that as a White male he unknowingly utilizes his White privilege to take control of such images. This unconscious utilization of privilege in depicting African American women dismisses the legitamacy of claims made by Patricia Hill Collins by further clogging the venues through which Black women are viewed with more negative images.

Will Roth’s comments have any affect on his SEMI-successful rap career? Will African Americans still support his albums and concerts now that he has apologized? I guess so. However, I can’t help but to question if through, even myself, dismissing this as an isolated incidence of a young white man “learning” how to be a public figure is a little too dismissing for comfort. Although I do not believe this is a reason for African American women to dismiss the claims of Patricia Hill Collins I do believe it is a reason that most of us are more forgiving in instances such as this. But what will happen when the next Asher Roth comes around?

Racial Identity and the Power of Self-Definition

“We’ve always had to live two lives – one for them and one for ourselves”

In Dr. Patricia Hill Collin’s Black Feminist Thought, Dr. Collins addresses the idea of racial identity as it pertains to African American women. From her readings I have learned that because Black women have such a strong connection between themselves and their community, it is often hard for Black women to separate “womanhood” from “blackness”.  Rather, through helping their own cause Black female activists seek to uplift the entire race.

Collins discusses this connection between community and self in her explanation of the Black women’s organizations which were predominately made up of middle class African American women. These organizations “…while working on the behalf of all Black women…did not work with them as equals;” this class divide between middle and working class African American women as Collins explains, lead working class and poor Black women to take up membership in other venues that “required less affluent lifestyles and less active public roles and had more practical benefits for their members than did predominately middle-class reform organizations.” Collins goes on to add that regardless of their class, these women saw the need to give back to the community. The assumption Collins appears to be making about middle class Black women is that although they do not see poor and working class black women as being “refined” enough to share organizations, they still face the same challenges regardless of class, because of their race and gender.

This diversity of responses to common challenges is something Collins describes in the chapter “Distinguishing features of Black Feminist Thought.”

 

In the chapter entitled, “The Power of Self-Definition;” Collins discusses the reasons she views self definition as an essential piece of Black feminism. One of the reasons she highlighted as essential was the need to hide a self-defined standpoint in the eye of the dominant group which basically means that Black women are able to use their silence powerfully. In saying this Collins urges readers not to interpret Black women’s silence as a sign of submission and suggests Black women’s individual acts of resistance are a sign of this powerful silence. Another one of the reasons she highlighted as essential was that by insisting on self definition, Black women not only question what has been said about them but also are able to question the credibility and intentions of those possessing the power to define them. This ability to not only define themselves but also to question those who control how they are defined by others is a key component in combating controlling images because as Collins states these “controlling images applied to Black women are so uniformly negative [that] they necessitate resistance.”

Collins’ discussion of the “power of self definition” is entirely relevant to understanding the way in which middle class African American women define themselves in the 21^st century because middle class African American women do face many of the same sexist and racist issues as poor and working class Black women simply because they are still Black women. Facing these same issues includes the facing and combating of controlling images which, as Collins describes, can spark the creativity of some Black women. This creativity can be used in literature or other art forms to self-identify and combat negative images.

In the chapter “The Sexual Politics of Black Womanhood” Dr. Collins discusses issues of sexuality as they pertain to African American women. One of the things Collins argues is that one view of sexuality is as an important social location joining together other forms of oppression. Through saying this she is saying that sexuality is the “glue” holding together other forms of oppression. Therefore this is another one of her arguments that is extremely relevant to understanding the sexuality of middle class African American women because sexual oppression and objectification lumps all Black women together regardless of class status and lifestyle. Especially in instances where controlling images, as described above, are sexual in nature. An example of such controlling images used to sexually oppress Africana women is Pornography which, Collins describes, “…as animals, Black women receive no such redeeming dose of culture and remain open to the type of exploitation visited on nature overall. Black women’s portrayal in pornography as caged, chained, and naked creatures who possess “panther like”, savage and exotic sexual qualities reinforces the theme of Black women’s “wildness” as symbolic of an unbridled female sexuality.” Instances such as these are all the more reason for Black women to use their power of self-definition in attempts to combat these images.

The author’s use of the film Daughters of the Dust as a portal into understanding the concept of Black feminist thought is highly appropriate as the film illustrates a group of women who have diverse reactions as they face the same challenges as they prepare to migrate North from their Sea Island town. The film shows how over time, as Collins suggests Black feminism is dynamic and changing, these women had to create new methods for dealing with the challenges they faced. These new coping methods are apparent when looking at different generations of women within this family unit. Also, another concurrent theme Collins brings up that is present in the film is Africana women’s roles in carrying and uplifting society and these women’s roles in building and maintaining community.

 

The Complexities of Complexions and Social Contracts

     I feel a tad bit anxious whenever I fill out a survey, a questionnaire or a job application when prompted to disclose my racial identity. If these types of questions were fill-in-the blank it would be so much easier. Yet I shuffle over the options trying to decide between two options: ‘Black- Non Hispanic’ and ‘Hispanic’ and wonder why I am given such a hard choice to make. Choosing between these two sides of me has oftentimes been so complicated that as an out, I simply answer ‘Black’.

My mother is a strong Black woman who hates the term ‘African American’ and can trace her roots back to a rice plantation in South Carolina. My transient father is Cuban and his mother was born in Havana, Cuba. His mother, my Nani; despises my mother, my siblings and I because of our “dark” skin tone. Between these two worlds live my brother, my sister and I: children who look Black to the unknowing eye.

Most often when I meet people, and sometimes even as I get into making good friends, I do not disclose my racial Identity. I somewhat despise my Cuban side at times for my Nani’s shrewdness and my father’s transiency. I often feel that even if I do disclose people will not understand me, not believe me, or will ask me questions like, “Do you speak Spanish?”- a challenge of authenticity which I will certainly fail. On the other hand, I love being Black. I love my bronze skin tone and every shade of every Black person I’ve ever met. I love Black History, Black Literature, and Black EVERYTHING. This is why I am an African American Studies Major. This is also why until further notice; I will continue to check off ‘Black’ when asked.

In his piece “Broken Social Contract”, Mark Anthony Neal makes the argument that there has been a long standing social contract between Black men and women at elite institutions such as Morehouse and Spelman. This social contract is one which silently stipulates that the Black women in such institutions exist for the service of Black men and that those who dare to break the social contract face much adversity. In the trailer Neal brings up the idea of patriarchy and how maintaining these social contracts maintain the idea of a “safehaven” for the Black community. With this I completely agree that there are certain social contracts built between Black men and women, especially at elite institutions such as Morehouse and Spelman. On a smaller scale it can even be seen within the Black Greek community of Ohio University where social contracts have been built up between certain fraternities and sororities so that one might almost feel as if they owe their allegiance to a certain “Bruh” or “Soror”, no matter the situation.

In “What’s Up with Waxy Michelle?” Theresa Wiltz looks at the issue of Michelle Obama’s wax figure in Madame Tussauds Wax Museum in Washington DC. She argues that Tussauds wax depiction of the first lady is in complete denial of her beautifully brown skin, and instead depicts her as being even lighter than Barack. According to Wiltz, this is not the first time her skin color has become an issue in the mainstream media and stipulates that, “the first black first lady’s skin tone comes wrapped in all kinds of cultural significance and four centuries’ worth of emotional baggage.” On this issue I completely agree that her brown skin does carry a lot of cultural significance, as without a doubt she and the president have been pushed to the forefront in their representation of Blacks in America. However, the ‘mulattosizing’ of her wax figure seems to be a way of making mainstream America more comfortable with her just as Loreal was speculated to have lightened pictures of Beyonce for audiences of different magazines, while Essence Magazine got a much darker photo.

In Deborah Gray White’s Too Heavy A Load, she at many points discusses the significance of race, class and color dynamics between Black men and women. In mending social contracts between Black men and women these things must be taken into consideration because as White states in the book, “Caught up in their gender struggle, neither black male nor female leaders seemed aware that their fight against racism had turned as much onward on themselves as outward toward whites”. As one of the main arguments made in Neal’s blog was that Black women in combating these social contracts were perpetuating stereotypes of Black men, it is important that when negotiating these contracts we take into consideration how the outside world will view us as we handle these situations.

Another important thing to take into consideration when looking at these issues is the idea of color and the fact that along with class differences in the Black race, color is a close second for creating a hierarchy amongst individuals. Historically, those of lighter complexion such as Mary Church Terrell found it easier to navigate through the world, and now with the fame of Michelle Obama and the issue of her wax figure we see how important fairness of skin is still important.

It is essential to keep these issues in mind when negotiating and mending social contracts because they all play a role in how we see ourselves as Black people, regardless of our skin-tone.

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