Ain't I a Feminist?

Aaronette M. White

Description

Ain't I a Feminist? presents the life stories of twenty African American men who identify themselves as feminists, centering on the turning points in their lives that shaped and strengthened their commitment to feminism, as well as the ways they practice feminism with women, children, and other men. In her analysis, Aaronette M. White highlights feminist fathering practices; how men establish egalitarian relationships with women; the variety of Black masculinities; and the interplay of race, gender, class, and sexuality politics in American society. Coming from a wide range of family backgrounds, ages, geographical locations, sexualities, and occupations, each man also shares what he experiences as the personal benefits of feminism, and how feminism contributes to his efforts towards social change. Focusing on the creative agency of Black men to redefine the assumptions and practices of manhood, the author also offers recommendations regarding the socialization of African American boys and the reeducation of African American men in the interest of strengthening their communities.
List of Tables

Preface Can Black Men Be Feminists? From Healthy Doubt to Critical Acceptance

Acknowledgments

Introduction The Patriarchal Predicament

1.Critical Black Feminist Intersections: Framing the Issues

2. Biographical Sketches: The Sons of Sojourner Truth

3. Pawns and Patriarchs: Challenging Assumptions About Power

4.Turning Points: The Need and Willingness to Change

5. Romantic Relationships with Feminist Women

6. Platonic Friendships with Feminist Women

7. Menas Friends, Brothers, and Lovers

8. Sweet Daddy: Nurturing Interactions with Children

9. Private Commitments, Public Actions

Conclusion Can Black Men Really Be Feminists?

Appendix A Methodological Intersections and Considerations
Appendix B InterviewCategories
Appendix C Historical and Contemporary Usage of the Terms "Feminist"and "Womanist"

Notes
References
Index

Sujets

• Ethnic studies

Informations

• Publié par: State University of New York Press
• Date de parution: 28 août 2008
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780791477755
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 20 Mo

Extrait

Ain’t I a Feminist?

African American Men Speak Out on Fatherhood, Friendship, Forgiveness, and Freedom

Aaronette M. White

Ain’t I a Feminist?

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Ain’t I a Feminist?

African American Men Speak Out on Fatherhood, Friendship, Forgiveness, and Freedom

Aaronette M. White

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S t a t e U n i v e r s i t y o f N e w Y o r k P r e s s

Published by State University of New York Press, Albany

© 2008 State University of New York

All rights reserved

Printed in the United States of America

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For information, contact State University of New York Press, Albany, NY www.sunypress.edu

Production by Ryan Morris Marketing by Anne M. Valentine

This book was printed on acid-free, 50% recycled paper.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

White, Aaronette M. Ain’t I a feminist? : African American men speak out on fatherhood, friendship, forgiveness, and freedom / Aaronette M. White p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978–0–7914–7567–6 (hardcover : alk. paper)— ISBN 978–0–7914–7568–3 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. African American men—Psychology. 2. African American men— Attitudes. 3. Male feminists—United States. I. Title.

E185.86.W438689 2008 305.38896073—dc22

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2007044487

Platonic Friendships with Feminist Women

Romantic Relationships with Feminist Women

Chapter 4

Acknowledgments

Critical Black Feminist Intersections: Framing the Issues

The Patriarchal Predicament

Pawns and Patriarchs: Challenging Assumptions About Power

Turning Points: The Need and Willingness to Change

Biographical Sketches: The Sons of Sojourner Truth

2

1

6

1

Sweet Daddy: Nurturing Interactions with Children

Chapter 8

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C ONTENTS —————————

Can Black Men Be Feminists? From Healthy Doubt to Critical Acceptance

156

Men as Friends, Brothers, and Lovers

Appendix B

Appendix A Methodological Intersections and Considerations

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List of Tables

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 1

Chapter 9 Conclusion

Preface

Introduction

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Private Commitments, Public Actions Can Black MenReallyBe Feminists?

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Interview Categories

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Chapter 6

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Chapter 5

Chapter 7

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Appendix C

Notes

References

Index

Contents

Historical and Contemporary Usage of the Terms “Feminist” and “Womanist”

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258

2.1.

4.1.

Interview Participants

Turning Points

T ABLES ——————

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P REFACE ———————

Can Black Men Be Feminists? From Healthy Doubt to Critical Acceptance

cholarly research is not objective; it contains value judgments grounded S in the researcher’s own ethical and political commitments, whether the researcher admits these inevitable biases or not. Scholars’ perspectives also seep into the research process, regardless of which scientific methods and 1 procedures are used to minimize such influences. Therefore, critical social scientists have grown to consider the researcher’s values and biases as an integral part of the research process and recommend that such biases be 2 outlined and analyzed, along with the biases of those being studied. Why? Because the researcher’s position and the relationship between the researcher and the research participants shape how people’s lives are interpreted. Thus, in addition to understanding the particular circum- stances of the men I have studied inAin’t I a Feminist, it is equally important for me to tell you, the reader, who I am and what my relation- ship is to the topic and men whose lives I interpret. Most women have been socialized to applaud the efforts of men, even if those men’s efforts on behalf of women are patronizing, superfi- cial, and short-lived. African American women, in particular, have been taught to show public, uncritical support for African American men in order to counter divide-and-conquer strategies that thwart the collective fight against racism. However, as an African American woman (cur- rently heterosexually identified, child-free, veteran of two marriages and several other relationships) and feminist psychologist, I began this pro- ject with a healthy dose of skepticism about the sincerity of men’s involvement in feminism. My skepticism left me unprepared for the deeply moving quality of the participants’ narratives. Their levels of self-disclosure, honesty about their earlier lives, and candor regarding their ongoing struggles to unlearn sexist behaviors and resist patriarchal institutions changed my

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Preface

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attitude. I had participated in sometimes heated debates over whether any man, regardless of his actions or attitudes, could rightly be called a feminist, so the change in my own attitude unnerved me at first. Clearly, men benefit from the power imbalance between the genders that I refer to interchangeably in this book as patriarchy, sexism, and male supremacy. When one looks at the differences between men and women in wages and career prospects; the devaluation of women’s ideas and positions in a wide range of institutional settings, including leader- ship positions in organized religion, the political sphere, and the work- place in general; the ongoing feminization of poverty in the United States; and violence against women (rape, battering, and sexual harass- ment), it’s obvious that men have privileges in this society that translate into disproportionate power and advantage. Such facts notwithstanding, men are also hurt and dehumanized by patriarchy, although not to the same degree as women. Several of the men presented here have been raped, beaten, and humiliated, mainly by men, but a few also by women. Others have been ostracized because of their feminist beliefs and prac- tices. Many have felt like voices in the wilderness, in the company of both men and women. The narratives of these men made me laugh, cry, frown, smile, scream, sigh, and (I believe) grow. After reviewing and analyzing their stories, I am convinced that some men can appropriately be called femi- nists because they are committed to correcting, through publicandpri- vate actions, the imbalance of power between men and women that is built into the structures of American society. As a perspective, femi- 3 nism can be accepted or rejected by anyone, male or female. In my analysis, if one actively accepts that perspective in belief and practice, one is a feminist. Perhaps my initial reluctance to call men “feminists” came from encounters in the academic world with self-proclaimed feminist men who were arrogant and intellectually abusive to women. Some use their public speaking skills, “book” knowledge of women’s experiences, and access to power to show off. I have seen these men put women down during public debates and classroom discussions, where many women are still trying to find their voice. Such men have an intellectual aware- ness of gender issues, but lack the emotional maturity, humble disposi- tion, and interpersonal skills characteristic of men who truly understand and respect women. Seasoned feminist men tend to be good listeners and engage in ongoing self-analysis regarding their interactions with women. By contrast, some men use the terms “antisexist,” “profeminist,” and “feminist” to bolster their own power and manipulate women. These men and their behavior should be confronted and challenged. Feminist