Sojourner Truth and Intersectionality

Living from 1797 to 1883, Sojourner Truth an important part and a moving speaker on women’s rights and the abolition movement. According to American Reformers, a collection of biographies published by HW Wilson, Truth’s most well known speech, “Ain’t I a Woman,” was given
the National Woman's Suffrage Convention in Akron, Ohio in response to men that spoke before her on the lack of physical strength and intelligence of women. This speech and another of Truth’s speeches, “Keeping Things Going While Things Are Stirring,” are representative of early ideas of Intersectionality. Truth spoke of these ideas before the term was even coined. Truth speaks of her experiences of being a slave and black, and also of her experiences of being a woman. She speaks of both experiences to show her support for the women’s movement and to remind her listeners at the time that no two women’s experiences were the same based on race and economic standing. She was one of the earliest to recognize and speak about the idea of Intersectionality.

In Truth’s speech, “Ain’t I a Woman?” was in response to a previous speaker who had stated that women were inferior due to their weaker physical stature and lack of intelligence in comparison to men. That same speaker also expressed that because of these weaknesses woman needed to be treated with care (American Reformists). Truth makes her first distinction between races when she states, “Nobody ever helps me into carriages, or over mud-puddles, or gives me any best place! And ain’t I a woman,” letting her listeners know that she was not treated in this “chivalrous” way because of her race (79). She than points out that she has done the same physical labor that men do and give birth to a child. Truth pointed out the different experience woman because of their race, and still recognizes the oppression that all women have experienced due to their sex.

In Truth’s Speech, “Keeping the Things Going While Things Are Stirring,” she addresses the issue of Intersectionality more. The second line of this speech she points out the differences between the experiences of a white woman and a black woman from the south at the time by stating, “I came from another field-the country of the slave” (79). She later points out the differences of black woman and white woman again when she states that “white women are a great deal smarter, and know more than colored women, while colored woman gets do not know scaresly anything,” speaking on the differences of education between the two groups (80).

She also speaks on the difference between men and women, recalling the times she did physical labor in the fields with men doing the same amount of work, but receiving half of what the men made due to her sex. She speaks clearly about her wish for women’s rights when she states, “I want women to have their rights. In the courts women have no right, no voice; nobody speaks for them,” and then shortly after makes the distinction between the races again by stating, “I am about the only colored woman that goes about to speak for the rights of colored women” (80). She speaks out against black men getting their rights but not black women and about all women not having rights. She makes it clear that she is for equal rights for everyone regardless of race and sex and says so clearly when she states, “I have been a forty years a slave and forty years free, and would be here forty years more to have equal rights for all” (80).

Sojourner Truth played an important role in the abolition movement and the women’s movement. Her speeches moved many and have become part of American History. Equally as important was her ability to not only recognizes the differences between the races but to speak openly about them to black and white women alike. Truth was one of the earliest to see these differences and speak out in order to make a difference.

Works Cited

HW Wilson Company. (1985). Sojourner Truth. In American Reformers. Author. Retrieved February 24, 2008, from Wilson Web.

A Response to: What Is Feminism? by Rosalind Delmar

The reading What Is Feminism?, by Rosalind Delmar, was very interesting to read. This reading seemed to be typical of what you would think a theoretical discussion would be. Delmar focuses on the lack of solid definition for the term “Feminism,” and points out that there are many different view points within the group that identifies as feminists. She also raises more than several questions about feminism and feminists, questions that are still relevant to feminism today. One of the main questions she focuses on in this reading is whether or not a group can really be united if there is so much diversity within it. It seems difficult for some to understand that there can be so many different positions in one group, sometimes opposing positions. Feminism has received much criticism about this same lack of unity and solidarity on issues, it is difficult for some to take feminism seriously because of this. Although this was a work from 1979 this lack of solid definition and unity still holds through today, and is something that most likely will continue. It is an important issue and a relevant question for feminists today.

This reading was very typical of a theoretical discussion. Delmar started it off with her title, “What Is Feminism?,” which is of course a question, and ended by stating that it was a question that can’t be answered yet. She also leads the reader to contemplate whether or not there will ever be one solid definition for the term feminism. The reading does much more to create more questions than to give any sort of answer. Delmar attempts to give a basic definition of the term when she states that, “…a feminist is someone who holds that women suffer discrimination because of their sex, that they have specific needs which remain negated and unsatisfied, and that the satisfaction of these needs would require a radical change (some would say a revolution even) in the social, economic, and political order,” but she still can’t state that this is the basic definition that everyone agrees on (p 27). Delmar also questions whether or not any movement made by a group of women is feminism

(28). Or if something done by a group that doesn’t identify as feminists can still be labeled as an act of feminism (29). The reader is left really questioning what the true definition of the word feminist is, or if there can be just one definition.

Delmar identifies an issue that is not a new concept, but one that is ongoing. Although it is not a new idea, it is still one that not everyone is aware of. Young people today may not know how many different viewpoints are in the group that identifies as feminist. They may not understand that one definition of the word feminist cannot and does not truly fit all. Even though these differences exist many still try to assume that there is just one basic definition that every feminist fits into to. Delmar views this as a problem and demonstrates this by stating, “the assumption that the meaning of feminism is ‘obvious’ needs to be challenged” (27). Another issue that is brought up in this reading is the various images of feminists and feminism, which brings up even more questions. Which image is correct? Are they all correct in their own right? Are they all incorrect? Can there even be one unifying image? Delmar believes that the question of what it means to be a feminist must remain “an open one” (34).

Feminists today are still faced with great amounts of diversity within their social movement. Some of the diversity is valued, but some is thought of as conflict and roadblocks. It is an aspect of feminism that receives a lot of criticism and skepticism. There are those that find it hard to take a group seriously when that group can’t even come to an agreement with themselves. Delmar also ponders whether or not what is agreed on within feminism holds more significance than what is not (28). Perhaps this is a question that feminists today need to look at and try to decide. It is an ongoing issue and question within feminism, and it is no less important today than it was in 1979 or even during the first wave of feminism. Delmar raised the questions then, more than a quarter of a century ago, and there still is no one solid definition of feminism.

A response. . . "I'm not a feminist or anything"

In response to, "I'm not a feminist or anything, but. . ."
Feminist is not a dirty word, and feminism is not a negative thing. I am so sick of hearing, "Well, I'm not a feminist or anything, but I think that [insert some feminist ideal here]." I understand that not everyone who has beliefs that women and men should be equal identify as feminists, but why make it a point to tell people you're not?

What does Feminism mean? It doesn't mean man-hating lesbian. The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (4th edition) defines feminism as, "1. Belief in the social, political, and economic equality of the sexes. 2. The movement organized around this belief." That's it, that is what it means. Some feminists are lesbians, and some feminists hate men, some feminists are straight, some are bi, some are religious, some are atheist, some are radical, some are more conservative. . .and so on. . . but none of those characteristics define the word. Catch my drift?