Ain't I a Woman?: Black Women and Feminism (1981) argues for black women to embrace feminism as an ideology, and fight for their full inclusion in all levels of the feminist movement. The author, bell hooks (lowercase intentional), explains that during slavery, due to being both black and a woman, black female slaves experienced the brunt of misogyny. Since hatred of sexuality was embedded in American culture, the female became the source of lust and threats to male morale. The imperatives of racial imperialism instigated the formation of a cultural ‘cult of true womanhood’ (that continued into the 20th century) that idealized the white woman as the saintly complement to the male. The black female became the antithesis of ideal womanhood as they were a threat to racial and sexual imperialism. Therefore, black women were vulnerable to all kinds of sexual, psychological, and physical abuse without any provision for their protection from white or black society.
hooks also addresses the stereotypes of black women which stem from the combination of sexism with racism. These stereotypes, which in essence demonize survival, trace back to slavery and the apartheid of the Jim Crow era. They are internalized within the collective psyche of American society. These stereotypes are so corrosive that they have led to countless attacks against black women.
She argues that black nationalism seeks to recreate racist patriarchy with black men at the top of the social hierarchy. The leadership of black rights movements still functions within a patriarchal paradigm that marginalizes black women. hooks discuss in detail the ways the feminist movement has been hijacked by white, upper-class women, thereby reinforcing stigmas against it and cultural divides within. She advises black women that it is in their best interest not to abandon the feminist movement or label. Rather, the racism within the movement must be openly criticized and fought against by dedicated black feminists.
