Essay Questions

Compare the Holocaust to colonial oppression.

Kelley argues, “The Holocaust that resulted in the murder of six million Jews was merely the most vicious manifestation of Europe’s colonial policy. Although Jews did not occupy the same position held by colonial subjects in Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean, Du Bois and Robeson recognized that this act of mass genocide was not a “white-on-white crime.” They understood anti-Semitism as a racist ideology and knew that it was embedded deep in the fabric of Western culture.” Jews are targeted due to their religious ideology and not skin color. The oppression which Jews endured is comparable to the ‘colonial subject’s’ suffering. Colonialism is founded on white supremacy whereas the Holocaust was triggered by the perceived inferiority of the Jews.

Expound the irony of 'well-educated Negroes.'

Kelley writes, “The fact that racism still kept these well-educated and assimilated Negroes from fulfilling their aspirations could be either a wake-up call for the younger generation or an incentive to work harder within the system, or it could propel some into what Stanford called the “hip society.” The education does not empower black people sufficiently, Despite being educated, they are inhibited by race. Accordingly, the learned African Americans endure discrimination due to their blackness. This irony validates the idea that being educated is not enough to trigger a revolution or to transform the lives of the blacks.

Which is the principal strength of Flo Kennedy's feminism?

Kelley explains, "Both Murray and Kennedy felt that NOW and other mainstream feminist organizations ignored black women and tended to see the experiences of middle-class white women as representative of the experiences of all women. Kennedy was drawn to the radical feminist movement, which began to take off around 1968–69. She participated in demonstrations with New York Radical Women partly because they engaged in civil disobedience and advocated a revolution in gender relations." Kennedy focuses on the race factor in her feminist endeavors. Her recognition of the black females' experience differentiates her ideology from the typical movements which focused exclusively on white females. Kennedy demonstrates that for feminism to be pertinent, all women should be considered with their unique identities and backgrounds.