Oppression In Assata

In society, a racial hierarchy is constructed in the form of racism, where each race is classified, such as the whites being the most superior, whereas the blacks are perceived as inferior. Oppression takes formation in several ways and can limit a certain group from excelling in life, and suppressing their own cultural values. In the autobiography of Assata, Skakur depicts how oppression is present in every day society and its impact on Blacks.
Oppression disguises itself in various spheres, including Black womanhood. This classification includes societal pressures of Black women to conform to Eurocentric values, such as in beauty, gender, and families. The standard of European beauty is imposed on Black women, in which they feel subjected

to alter their appearance in order to be considered “beautiful”. Assata like many other Black women have conformed to beauty standards. For instance, she states, “I had always hated frying my hair--- burnt ears, a smokey straightening, and the stink of your own hair burning” (174). Shakur notes her disgust for straightening her hair due to the burns and smell, however continues this unnatural maintenance for the fear of being labeled differently. “How many nights had I spent trying to sleep on curlers, bound with scarves that cut into my head like a tourniquet. Afraid to go to the beach… Afraid my hair would ‘go back to the devil or Africa’ (Assata, 174). Despite her being uncomfortable with curling her hair, she avoided reverting it back to its natural form in order to negate her African heritage, in this case her Afro hair. They are constrained to the point where they feel disgusted with their own self. Shakur notes her awareness of a vast amount of Black women concealing their natural hair under wigs due to being apologetic of it (174). Black woman feel pressured to tailor themselves to White beauty standards, such as straight or wavy hair. Society imposes this standard, especially towards women, where they are expected to be “ladylike”, such as submissive, beautiful, childbearing, and nurturing. In detail, the media’s portrayal of the ideal family consisted of a nuclear model. The white husband was the breadwinner and provided economic stability for the household, and the wife was to preform all domestic labor, such as taking care of the children and maintaining the house (Assata, 74). Although this model of a family is a standard for Whites, Black people adapt this ideology and enforced it to their own principles. Shakur acknowledges this behavior, “Black people accepted those role models for themselves even though they have little to do with the reality of their own existence or survival” (174). The Nuclear Family model subliminally conformed Black families through social influences, such as the media. To illustrate, Assata questioned her family, and the role of her mother due to comparing her to the media’s portrayal of motherhood. “Why didn’t my mother have freshly baked cookies ready when I came home from school? Why didn’t we live in a house with a backyard and a front yard instead of an ole apartment? I remember looking at my mother as she cleaned the house in her old raggedy household with her hair in curlers. ’How disgusting,’ I would think. Why didn’t she clean the house in high heels and shirtwaist dresses like they did on television? (Shakur, 37). Assata deemed her mother as undesirable due to her deviating from the ideal mother and not wearing “proper” attire to clean. Hence, through oppression, Black womanhood was influenced and compared to Eurocentric values of being a woman in society.
Likewise to Black women being marginalized through Eurocentric standards, African Americans are limited to learning American history that has been Whitewashed.

In schools, Blacks are instructed in history classes the role of the slaves in America; nevertheless, slaves are perceived as powerless and submissive. Shakur like many others grew up believing slaves were inferior beings to Whites. For example, “I had grown up believing the slaves hadn’t fought back. I remember feeling ashamed when they talked about slavery in school. The teachers made it seem that Black people had nothing to do with the official ‘emancipation’ from slavery. White people had freed us” (Shakur, 175). The method of teaching slavery in America is intended to suppress Blacks and emphasize on their “inferiority” to Whites, resulting in low-self esteem for Blacks. Students are left with the notion of slavery being consensual and beneficial to both parties, despite the agony slaves were subjected to. Assata states, “Many of us have misconceptions about Black history in amerika. What we are taught in the public school system is usually inaccurate, distorted, and packed full of outright lies” (176). American history is altered and fabricated to maintain White supremacy and alienate Blacks from gaining confidence of their African history. Through inaccurate teachings of Black American history, Blacks’ self esteem is belittled and their confidence is reduced. History is restrained to preserve racism and

prevent Blacks from gaining courage. Assata admits to once having a narrow awareness of Black history. “My only knowledge of history of Africans in amerika was about George Washington Carver making experiments with peanuts and about the Underground Railroad” (175). Although these were achievements for the Black community, through only exposing Americans to a small range of Blacks’ accomplishments, it leaves the impression of it being special exceptions and that most Blacks are neither creative nor intelligent. Thus, oppression disguises itself in Black American history, in which a diluted version is exposed to society in order to repress Black self-esteem.
Oppression has many faces, including being present in the legal system.

America has the highest incarceration rate in the world, in which most inmates are Black and Hispanic. Blacks are perceived as socially deviant, so society easily deems them as being criminals. Assata Shakur was convicted and prosecuted for numerous charges, including resisting lawful arrest, possession of an illegal weapon, intention to kill, physical assault, robbery at several locations, and other charges (13). Although Shakur was not at the scene of these alleged crimes, law enforcement decisively arrested and charged her. If Shakur was White, rather than a Black woman, the legal system would have perceived her as innocent and treat her leniently. Nevertheless, Law Enforcement carries a bias prejudice towards Blacks, and benefits from their oppression. Similarly to the New Jim Crow, in which incarceration is utilized as a means to exploit Blacks and empower Whites. Shakur believes, “Prisons are a profitable business. They are a way of legally perpetuating slavery… They certainly aren’t planning to put white people in them. Prisons are part of this government’s genocidal war against Black and Third World People” (Shakur, 65). The privatization of prisons has increased and pursues to capitalize on minority inmates through the production of goods, while lawfully abiding by the 13th Amendment. Likewise, One who is convicted of an alleged crime is faced with a trial that is skewed to oppress Blacks from

justice. Shakur faced conflict when fighting for a fair jury that was racially diverse, for most juries were predominantly or entirely White, who were racially biased. For instance, Originally Assata was going to undergo a trial in Morris County, however since the jury was prejudice and stubborn by automatically finding her guilty, they requested a motion for change of venue. “ Morris County was almost completely white with very few Black people and even fewer Hispanics and Asians (Shakur, 69). Because the jury was impartial, If Assata would be trialed at that location; her chances of being convicted are high. In the legal system, Blacks have little to no power in legal decisions, such as jury duty. Most Blacks were ineligible to vote or had no desire to, which affects the population of Blacks acquiring power in the legal system. “There were, if any, Black jurors on the panel for the new trial. The news was depressing. The panel was selected from the voting rolls, and, since candidates running from the office seldom represent the interests of Black and poor people, Blacks and the poor don’t vote” (118). With a low vote count of Black voters, the less impact they have in legal decisions, such as preventing a large proportion of Blacks from being incarcerated. To conclude, Blacks are subjected to being arrested and convicted by White law officials, and are powerless in the criminal justice system.
The theme of Oppression can be found present in Assata and how its impact on womanhood, Black American history, and the legal system affects the Black community and belittles them.