African American Women’s Experience

The experience of African American is unique and part and parcel of the African American experience overall.

Problems through experience

“Sexuality, cultural roles, and gender relations early became central problems in the organizational and cultural responses of African-Americans to their enslavement and

to their subsequent experience”AAC, 82

Causes of the problems

African reality 1. Women worked beside

the men in the fields. 2. Women were degraded

along with the men. 3. Families were

intentionally broken up. 4. Roles of men and

women were made the same.

5. The church was reluctantly, belatedly and tenuously given approval

Euro-American ideals 1. Men and women

have different spheres. 2. Women are

“protected.” 3. Families are kept

together. 4. Different roles for

men and women.

5. Freedom to associate.

Women faced problems

1. Race

2. Class

3. Gender

A Black Woman’s context

Although their circumstances created problems it also gave African American women a unique perspective on life.

Black women developed a “multiple consciousness” which enabled them to have a critique unique only to them.

Role Models Characteristics

Autonomous

Independent

Strong

Self-reliant

Religious Imagination

Priestesses Cult Leaders Female deities Female images of the divine

African American Church Realities The African-American church is male

dominated for a couple of reasons: Most African societies are patriarchal America is patriarchal African American churches were theologically

influenced by their “evangelists”

Result of the tensions

African American women supported one another in child rearing and child bearing (e.g. many became midwives)

Helped each other in religious life Became religious leaders in the slave

community

Two dominant aspects of the dual oppression of race and gender. 1. Development of

“dual-sex politics” in historically Black churches. Autonomous independent self reliant

2. Development of the “tradition of conflict.” Politically active Community work Resist the “imposition

of Euro-American patriarchy

The Tension Between

European Religious Thinking Compartmentalization Specialization vs.

African Thought

Thorough integration Group responsibility

Importance of Women in African Societies This created unique problems and yet was

the strength of resistance for the women to total enslavement.

Women were able to “impose” themselves onto the political process through cooperation among themselves.

Women provided a strong economic base.

African Roles for Women

Business Persons

Politically Organized

Mutually Supportive

Economic

Controlled certain industries High economic position Were traders What they traded or negotiated belonged to

them (usually) Raised food--planted and maintained crops

Political Organization

Expressed their disapproval and secured their demands by public demonstrations

through ridicule satirical singing and dancing group strikes

Mutual Support

Supported each other through organizations which dealt with problems of: violations of domestic law decisions concerning agricultural labor mutual aid situations involving men

African Women’s organizations were based on economic status,

age and social status

Black Women’s Support

Women were members of organizations with like status.

Peers were called “sister” and elders were called “mother.”

Sometimes the women had “institutional authority.”

Authority in titles

Omu -- Queen Ilogo -- Women’s cabinet

These women held real power and the queen was not necessarily the wife of a king but were important contacts between men’s world and women’s world.

Dual-Sex Politics of Black Churches African American women played and continue

to play a very powerful role in Church life.

Various Roles

Teacher Evangelist Missionary Deaconess “Sister”

Recognized Role

Church Mother older woman spiritually mature morally upright Mother spiritual/moral leader highly influential state mother

Political Activist active in community active in church stressed education were educators started national

organizations

Recognized ability

Baptist and African Methodist women were highly sought after by the founders of Holiness and Pentecostal churches

In the new denominations they established schools educated members preached at various

services founded churches maintained a church

until a pastor arrived became wives of

pastors and bishops

Structural Importancein COGIC congregations

The women’s department was built on the role of church mother

The term “missionary” and “evangelist” developed out of the prohibition against women preaching

Missionary and evangelist needed to have the signatures of both the Bishop and Church Mother on their certificate

Structural

Sometimes the title “missionary” referred to all of the various roles of women

While the term minister encompasses the male roles

There were also “double pulpits” one for non “preachers” and another one for “preachers”

Some of these structures also exist in the Black Baptist Churches

Handling Black Male Domination in Black Churches

Methods used by Black Women

Black Female Hermeneutic Women’s Day Changing church membership Founding churches “Militant assertion of personhood” Confidence in their own abilities for the larger

society

Origins of “Black Biblical Feminism”

Jarena Lee (1783? - ) Although the AME Church did

not ordain she was permitted to “speak” meetings.

Rebecca Cox Jackson (1795-1871) Became a member of the

Shakers because of their stand.

Amanda Berry Smith (1837-1915) Holiness “Gifted singer, preacher,

evangelist, and missionary” There are quite a few churches in

AME which have women as pastors.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part3/3h91b.html

http://muweb.millersville.edu/~ugrr/tellingstories/demosite/Columbia/women/images/amanda_berry_smith.jpg

An Influential Women

Ida B Wells-Barnett

http://www.iun.edu/~wostnw/history/images/Ida_B_Wells.jpg

Response by Men

Although the large Black Baptist Conventions have a number of churches which oppose women pastors some of these churches do have women as pastors

Some of the Biblical arguments used by women

God used women in every capacity--owners, evangelists, teachers, helpers, military

God made women equal to men Men come from women

Women fought Black patriarchyin two ways

1. Expanded analysis of women’s role. They used Biblical arguments in defense of women their work. They did it to the point where sermons were affected--men had to “finely tune” and elaborate their argument. One practice was for the women to name the unnamed woman in a text. (woman with the issue of blood “Safronia”

2. They fully developed the Woman’s Day One Sunday each year the women would lead

in the worship in everything from Sunday School to the main worship service to special program to the evening service.

It became and still is a national event in that it is practiced by many Black Churches

Dilemmas of Commitment

“In spite of male domination, the black church functions for women as a women’s institution. Dual-sex politics mean that women have the autonomy necessary to provide their own leadership training. While their access to authority within the church is limited, women occupy roles which are authoritative within the scope of the entire tradition.”