Ain't I a Lady - Race Women, Michelle Obama, and the Ever-Expanding Democratic Imagination - Essay Example

?Edit by Brian shaofeng@umich.edu ENG 125 sec 092 October 28th In her article "A'n't I a Lady Race Women, Michelle Obama, and the Ever-Expanding Democratic Imagination," Brittney Cooper explores how black women have used their bodies to make their fight for equality and justice real. She explores ideas of discrimination and humiliation of black women in the past and how black women have turned those ideas against the people who used them first. They did this in very graphic ways in order to prove their humanity and gain their freedom, eventually leading to a place where the first black President could be elected and a black woman could be the First Lady. Black women have raised themselves from being considered beasts of labor, assigned to jobs typically considered to be male occupations, to gaining recognition to now leading a nation. Cooper explores how women of color have had a rough time in America, but there is hope for a better future because of their ability to fight back in an embodied way to disprove the public racist opinion. Brittney Cooper is an appropriate person to present a study of this nature as a professor with vast experience in Women’s Studies. Her experience as a black woman and as an expert in women’s studies gives her article a lot of credibility. Moreover, she has pointed out and referenced several articles written by fellow women and black women rights’ campaigners. Cooper gathers several pieces of verifiable evidence to support her arguments ranging from documented historical racism and the black woman’s position from slavery through the civil rights era into current events including public opinion regarding Michelle Obama’s rise to the White House (Cooper, 2010). She has also included her own practical experience as a black woman and reveals telling encounters she's had with white people. There is a lot of evidence available throughout this study that is also generated from credible sources. The article is conclusive due to the quality of the evidence provided by Cooper. However, Cooper did not carry out any original research to prove her points. She could have done so using either questionnaires or survey forms to assess the black and white women’s opinions regarding the claims she was planning to make in her article. From the early days when Sojourner Truth felt it necessary to expose her breasts to a crowd of men to today's public appearances of Michelle Obama, one of the major claims Cooper makes is that the black woman's role in the public domain has been very focused on her body. According to Cooper (2010) black women have always used strategies such as Michelle Obama’s dedication to presenting a fit body dressed in fashionable and appropriate clothing to defend their negative portrayals in public. Michelle Obama's appearance is a direct challenge to claims that black women are in poor shape and live in the ghettos. Like Sojourner Truth's bare breasts, the image of Michelle Obama cannot be easily argued away. These strategies play a major role in ensuring democracy because she is very clearly a lady of taste and refinement which she has shown in a positive and peaceful but uncompromising way. There are several arguments by Cooper, Darlene Clark and Evelyn Brooks regarding the bodily appearance of women in the public domain as well as their public self-representation and what it means to society as a whole. While the black man’s body has also been used to express concerns about racism and address some of the discriminatory and vulnerability issues that still exist, it is the woman's body that is most effective perhaps because the female form is most open for scrutiny in our society. Cooper (2010) attempts to give hope to black women who were initially subjected to sexual discrimination and other forms of exploitation through the use of these examples of black male oppression. Black women have always worried about their role in society as a result of their extreme oppression during slavery and through the forces of racism and discrimination that have occurred since (Booker, 1997). Although they weren't as easily exploited following the Reconstruction period, black woman have had to fight for every right they've been given. Cooper views black female leadership as a huge step towards an emerging free black female identity. According to Cooper (2010), there is a great improvement in terms of women’s role in society since women are not as affected by racism because they are able to bond under the common experience of female oppression. Instead, they focus on making things better, so having more women representatives is central to American progressiveness. By following Michelle Obama's example of taking care of their health and fitness and paying attention to their appearance, black women can gain respect and admiration at the same time that they confront and refute racial stereotypes. American society is steadily moving towards full recognition of black women and the black race in general. According to Cooper (2010), black women’s voices and bodies should continue to be positively portrayed in the American public sphere. She considers women of color as subjects and agents of history and change that will liberate the black people from the discrimination that has kept them down. Almost surprisingly, Cooper (2010) further draws from the bible to argue her points by saying that women’s role in society should concur with the scriptural requirements of women as providing the natural balance among mankind. This is another way to appeal to the socially respectable ideals by showing that providing black women with the respect and dignity of other women and women in general with the respect and dignity afforded to men is in keeping with biblical intention. She argues that the church should treat people equally as Jesus did, regardless of the color of their skin. Since the bible was written in a land where people of multiple shades could be easily found, it makes sense that the biblical people wouldn't have discriminated the way America does today or has in the past. Cooper asserts that people in power should always recognize the significance of other bodies’ social position and strive to ensure equality and justice. Michelle Obama is regarded as a contemporary figure that has revisited the past battle of lady-hood and further complicates their volatile history by insisting that the black woman has a place at the table. It is doubtful that the presence of Michelle Obama in the White House will greatly transform the past. The American public does not like the First Lady’s role in politics, but she doesn't allow that to stop her from transforming this position. Today, she is a symbol of drastic challenges to the American conservatives who had different and strong opinions regarding concepts of gender, politics, and race (Cooper, 2010). In regard to this, Obama’s body and her image were symbolically tainted in the media and the public. Some of the more negative responses accused her of being unpatriotic and an angry black woman of the Sapphire variety. However, Obama has gone against all odds to revise her image, showing herself to be the strong black mothering woman she is, practicing politics of respectability with the media and her critics. Her strategy ultimately encourages black women to consider themselves worthy of respectability and social class. Throughout the media circuits, Michelle Obama is represented as a symbol of historic progress especially considering her sense of fashion. She is frequently seen in sleeveless dresses, and short pants, but knows how to dress things up appropriately for national and international events. Rather than allowing the public to dictate to her what they think is appropriate for a First Lady to wear as if she were not sophisticated enough to make those decisions on her own, Michelle wears only what appeals to her and what she considers modest and appropriate for the occasion. She doesn't worry about what the public might call immodest, such as her sleeveless shirts and short pants, but instead worries about what kinds of activities she will be performing and what kind of clothes will fit for that purpose with dignity and ease of movement. Obama’s attitude towards her body and choice of her dresses is a sign of the kind of freedom that black women enjoy or should enjoy. Her muscular arms no longer represent the traditional black woman’s arm built by the hard man's work she was forced to do as a slave such as Sojourner Truth once did. Instead, Obama's strong arm is a symbol of a choice to stay healthy and a symbol of black women taking back the power they should never have lost as independent people. Like Sojourner's arm, though, this directly challenges what people think they know about black women since many assumptions were that black women did not eat healthy food or go to the gym to stay in shape. Through their work, both Cooper and Michelle Obama actively work against the influence of racism to bring about positive change within their audiences. Michelle Obama has really had a great influence in the public sphere and this impact may not be well understood by white women unless they understand the special challenges facing black feminism. Black women have been able to define their own form of feminism which addresses their particular challenges within the context of American society and redefined their own roles in society. Black women have become even more supportive of their families as Michelle has publicly demonstrated in her previous speeches and actions (Booker, 1997). Black women's choices should be respected to the same degree as white men's choices are respected because they also have rights just like any other person, woman or man. Michelle’s role as a black mother indeed adds a lot to the image of black motherhood. Her image as a wife and a mother is exemplary and proves, again through the physical presence of her body and her viewed interactions with her husband and her daughters that the stereotypes are not universally applicable. There is a tendency to rely on historical injustices while trying to improve or adjust on a particular culture. Generally, black people have never enjoyed their life in America fully because they have never been given full access to their rights. The past injustices and discrimination we study through history books is still evident in their lives to date. Making choices and decisions based on issues of race is very common in America and it has made some women of color to make inappropriate life choices as a result of feelings of inferiority or due to a lack of positive examples of something different for women who look like them with darker complexions (Booker, 1997). Finding black people registered on social assistance programs is considered common because they are categorized as welfare dependent as a race. It is true that people on welfare are the most vulnerable social group in America. In reality, though, there are as many white women on the poverty rolls as there are black women (Booker, 1997). Institutional and cultural racism has clearly shown how people in power manipulate others in the name of remaining in the elite position. Black woman’s role in the future will certainly improve in America with examples such as Michelle Obama proving that the spirit of Sojourner Truth lives on. Michelle Obama is certainly a role model who has played a vital role in transforming the position of women of color. Despite harsh and frequent criticism, she has remained on top by leading as a composed and responsible black woman. Michelle’s heroism is not only attributed to the fact that she is the First Lady, but because of her previous achievements. Her role as a mother and a wife is actually incredible and every one can attest to this. Additionally, Michelle is a fashion icon who has really transformed the opinions of many people from all races. She has also decided to do things her own way with a clear focus on her role as a woman instead of concentrating on her race. The social and public perception regarding blacks is expected to change because women of color have increasingly followed Michelle's lead and taken positive steps toward unleashing their potential which was initially suppressed. Works Cited Booker, Rolanda. "Struggle of the Black Woman." Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute. Web. http://www.yale.edu/ynhti/curriculum/units/1997/3/97.03.01.x.html Cooper, Brittney. "A'n't I a Lady?: Race Women, Michelle Obama, and the Ever-Expanding Democratic Imagination." Multi-Ethnic Literature of the U.S. Vol. 35, 4, (Winter 2010): pp. 39-57. Print. Read More