Who's Afraid Of Aunt Jemima Analysis

Intersectionality: Women of Color and Feminism

What representations of women of color do you see throughout history? Can you think of any artists who are women of color? Why is it that these women are not often represented and what actions have activist and feminist done to help point out these problematic differences in color? In some cases people do stand up against this oppression. But often there are times when feminists forget that the fight is not just for white middle-class women. Woman of color are often represented poorly when referring to mainstream feminism; in response to this injustice, bringing awareness to this issue and teaching others about feminist artists of color will help others understand and learn to include all oppressed

groups when fighting for equality.
Grace Hong, a professor of Asian American and Gender Studies at UCLA, says “for decades, white women didn't have to consider any interests beyond their own because ‘historically, the category of 'woman' has, implicitly, meant white women.’ The call to put womanhood above all else is based on the idea that ‘critique and dissent undermine a unity that's based on the lowest common denominator: Find the one thing everyone has in common’”(Bates). Hong is saying that society is not taking in considerations of other experiences outside of the general views, which is mainly from white women. This is a problem because then the only issues addressed are of white women. There needs to be a shift so that feminism does not become one minded and essentialist. “The fact that the feminist movement was so white for so long is the reason so many women of color steered clear of it”(Bates). They saw when their issues and weren’t being heard and decided to do something about it. In the 1850s, when some feminists chose whether to promote abolitionism or women's rights, women of color had to choose. And black women often chose womanism over feminism. They did not want to separate their race from their gender. We see examples of this throughout history in a lot of feminist artists who are women of color. Because separating two parts of themselves didn’t encapsulate the experience of who they were, which was a highly oppressed group in society. It was important to artists of color to have people recognize them for what they were and have them understand what they are going through. Because there are people who don’t realize or don’t think that oppression is happening even now and don’t see it as a big issue in society anymore. (Kaplan). This is a problem because often this thinking will do the same amount of hurt and underrepresentation by not recognizing and discussing these differences. Pointing out these issues as well as others is a common trait in the works of artists who are women of color. They choose to point out the uncomfortable and unnoticed issues in society to make people think.
Faith Ringgold is a great example of an artist that did not shy away from race relations in and feminist topics in society. She was an advocate for the civil rights movement and her work touched on social issues like gender and class differences (Blackwell). She was someone who really pushed norms and worked on controversial topics, which advanced her art even further. Her work was greatly affected by what she experienced in life (Blackwell). She tells her audience, people who have never gone through what she has gone through, what is like being a black women everyday of her life. Through her work she can present issues and change ideas of what it like to be a woman of color in America. And the more people know and learn the better they can understand and help advocate for people like Ringgold and give them a platform to share their experiences.
One of Faith Ringgold’s work is Who's Afraid of Aunt Jemima?(fig 1.), is a quilt that depicts the story of Aunt Jemima.

This quilt was Ringgold’s first quilt that told a story. She wanted to tell her story because no one had done it yet so, she felt the need to do it (Thompson). Not only was this art piece made in an untraditional way, which was textiles, Ringgold also gave a better and more respectable depiction of Aunt Jemima. It talks about both sides of her oppression. The previous idea of her was a caricature of a housemaid that took care of a family’s kids, cleaned and cooked. Ringgold goes into Jemima’s history and brings the caricature meaning. This quilt not only addresses the racist issues surrounding Aunt Jemima but also the one-sided depiction of women being used as objects. She does this to make a representation of someone who is part of her culture be seen as more than a thing to sell. It makes people think about how they view people of color in shown as social icons and just in the media in general (Thompson). This can incite change in

people.
Another feminist artist would be Kara Walker.

She is a fairly modern artist who explores ideas of race, gender, violence, and identity through silhouettes. Born on November 26,1 969 in Stockton, California, Kara walker eventually graduated and started making art (Shaw). Her work (fig. 2) is very simple and clean, but looking closer you find the images she makes are very horrifying. Walker often in her work plays with the abject. She draws her creativity from the history of the American south. Her story references within her work are form firsthand accounts of slave testimonials and history books (Shaw). These works often show images that are either violent of sexual in some way. Walker does this to make the viewer feel uncomfortable and uneasy. The images draw you in with it’s stark black on white and clean lines. But as you look closer the viewer is forced to face the ugly truth these images show. Walker’s work in whole is about racism in the present day and the huge inequalities within social classes (Shaw). She is a person that is working towards representation and understanding through her work. Walker wants her viewer to know that in America there is still economic and social inequalities that are often driven by underlying racism. By making her work, she is changing the perception of black people in history and the

world.
Representation of women of color has been minute in comparison to white women. We as a society need to work toward improving this situation by showing and using platforms to represent woman of color when they are not often able to find platforms. It is important for society to learn from these women artists and just woman of color in general so it can work towards a more justified and equal future for all genders, sex, and races. 
Citations
Bates, Karen Grigsby. "Race And Feminism: Women's March Recalls The Touchy History." NPR. NPR, 21 Jan. 2017. Web. 01 May 2017.

Blackwell, Gloria L. "Race, Art, and Activism: Faith Ringgold's Inspiring Journey." AAUW: Empowering Women Since 1881. American Association of University Women, 22 Aug. 2013. Web. 02 May 2017.

Holton, Curlee Raven., and Faith Ringgold. Faith Ringgold: a view from the studio. Boston: Bunker Hill Pub. in association with Allentown Art Museum, 2004. Print.

Kaplan, Cora. Sea Changes : Essays on Culture and Feminism. London: London : Verso, 1986. Print. (p. 177-187)

Shaw, Gwendolyn Dubois. Seeing the Unspeakable : The Art of Kara Walker. Durham: Durham : Duke UP, 2004. Print.

Thompson, Cheryl. Contesting the Aunt Jemima Trademafk through Feminist Art: Why is She Still Smiling? London : KT Press, 1996-2013. Print.