* I short essay I wrote senior year for my Global Issues Class on comparing a current social issue to Plato's Allegory of the Cave*
The most disrespected person in America is the black woman”-Malcolm X
The only reason I have endured being one of the few black girls in my AP and advanced classes so long is because of a rise of media coverage on the accomplishments and empowerment of black women. Society puts barriers on black women to prevent them from being as successful as other groups of people. When black women overcome the shadows of insecurity and inferiority society casts on them, they will succeed.
After playing one of the best kickball games of my life in the 5th grade, one of my best guy friends killed my victorious spirit by saying that one of my other best guy friends wouldn't want to date me because I was too dark. From then on, I spent most of my childhood thinking I wasn’t good enough for anybody. I would try different skin lightening creams, cocoa butter, shea butter, and even put on sunscreen to prevent myself from getting darker. I wasn't satisfied enough and it just resulted in a greasy body and red eyes from the sunscreen. I would cry just stressing out on how to find ways of altering who I was—a dark skin black woman. Western society has been fetishistic over white European features for decades. Being white is glorified through paintings of holy beings and historical figures shown as having fair skin. Till this day, the top celebrities are the ones that have blonde silky hair and blue eyes. Goodness is equated to whiteness in society; as a result, I thought that in order to enjoy life and fit in I had to become as white as possible. Like many black girls, I started feeling insecure about myself because no matter how much I tried I couldn't erase my melanin.
What is a black girl good for? Society has told African American females since the beginning of time that we are sex objects. During the age of colonization, black female slaves were raped to satisfy the sexual desire of the white master and to reinforce power. During the same era, white colonists would set up human zoos where white men could stare lustfully at curvaceous female slaves who were stripped naked, and enclosed in fences. Being constantly treated like an animal has resulted in black women feeling dehumanized. Like simple minded animals, we quit improving our minds because our bodies is what society deems as the only useful part about us. Black women in modern day “slavery” make a living by being video vixens, strippers, models or prostitutes. (side note: I'm not bashing people in these professions just arguing that society doesn't want us in all career sects) The media portrays black women having these occupations more commonly than a black woman being in congress or being a medical doctor. Children copy or model after things that are constantly around them. What society shows them is one narrow perspective of what a black women can be or achieve. As a result, black girls grow up to only have these limited options on what career pathway they should take. They feel comfortable about being sexual objectified because it's been seen in media for many years.
Aiming for anything more intellectual is highly disputed. This is like the person that breaks out from the chains of the cave and goes outside only to come back into the allegory of the cave because they're used to the dark so long that the outside world has made their eyes uncomfortable. A black women might be too scared to do something outside their “norm” that society has taught them to be. The thought of being in an intellectual atmosphere is foreign. As a result, they go back to the cave because it's their comfort zone. The consequences of getting out of the cave is being the only black girl in advanced classes while the rest of her group is in regular classes. She will feel intimidated and will ultimately feel helpless because there is no one in that class that remotely looks like her. This can discourage her from achieving well in that class.
Another thing that can discourage black women to achieve academically and career wise, is the rules that American society has put to make black girls feel so inferior that they wouldn't continue their education. Rules such as Jim Crow laws and the “separate but equal” doctrine created after the Plessy v Ferguson Case in the 1890s, have made it nearly impossible for black women in particular to better themselves. Most African American women stayed home to clean, cook, make clothes and take care of children. The few that went to school had old outdated textbooks and had a poor learning environment due to segregation. Rules such as these that made it impossible to learn causes black girls to feel like they weren't good enough; furthermore they couldn't further their education.
What has changed? Black women have gotten out of the cave. Iconic women such as Tyra Banks and Oprah Winfrey has overcome the tricks of the system. They recognized that the media and laws of this society were not in favor of their existence and tried to overcome these obstacles. Not only did they get out of the cave they inspire other people to find their own truth and accomplish their own dreams. That is why there are more black girls going to college or being the “first African American” pioneer to do something in their communities.When one recognizes one’s abilities and destroys the feelings of inferiority, one will be able to do well in-spite of the injustice of this society .