Gender Talk: The Struggle For Women's Equality in African American Communities - Paperback

by Johnnetta B. Cole (Author), Beverly Guy-Sheftall (Author)

"A groundbreaking look at the controversial topic of sexism and gender politics within African American communities."--Ebony

In the Black community, rape, violence against women, and sexual harassment are as much the legacy of slavery as is racism. In Gender Talk, Johnnetta Betsch Cole and Beverly Guy-Sheftall argue powerfully that the only way to defeat this legacy is to focus on the intersection of race and gender.

Examining why the "race problem" has become so male-centered and how this has opened a deep divide between Black women and men, the authors turn to their own lives, offering intimate accounts of their experiences as daughters, wives, and leaders. They examine pivotal moments in African American history when race and gender issues collided with explosive results. Along the way, they present the testimonies of a large and influential group of Black women and men, including Byllye Avery, Derrick A. Bell, Farai Chideya, Kimberlé Crenshaw, Michael Eric Dyson, Marcia Gillespie, bell hooks, and Faye Wattleton.

Fearless and eye-opening, Gender Talk is required reading for anyone concerned with the future of African American women--and men.

Front Jacket

In the Black community, rape, violence against women, and sexual harassment are as much the legacy of slavery as is racism. In "Gender Talk Johnnetta Betsch Cole and Beverly Guy-Sheftall argue powerfully that the only way to defeat this legacy is to focus on the intersection of race and gender.
Examining why the "race problem" has become so male-centered and how this has opened a deep divide between Black women and men, the authors turn to their own lives, offering intimate accounts of their experiences as daughters, wives, and leaders. They examine pivotal moments in African American history when race and gender issues collided with explosive results. Along the way, they present the testimonies of a large and influential group of Black women and men, including Byllye Avery, Derrick A. Bell, Farai Chideya, Kimberle Crenshaw, Michael Eric Dyson, Marcia Gillespie, bell hooks, and Faye Wattleton. Fearless and eye-opening, "Gender Talk is required reading for anyone concerned with the future of African American women--and men.

Author Biography

Johnnetta Betsch Cole is the President of Bennett College in Greensboro, North Carolina. She is President emerita of Spelman College and Professor emerita of anthropology, Women's Studies, and African American Studies at Emory University. A nationally known African American feminist-intellectual, she is the author of several books, including Conversations: Straight Talk with America's Sister President.

Beverly Guy-Sheftall is the Anna Julia Cooper Professor of Women's Studies and English, and the Director of the Women's Research and Resource Center at Spelman College. She is the editor of Words of Fire: An Anthology of African American Feminist Thought and coeditor (With Rudolph Byrd) of Traps: African American Men on Gender and Sexuality among many other publications. She lives in Atlanta.