Age, Race, Class and Sex

Lucas Pekich

This piece of writing was very powerful as well as personal from her perspective. One of the most intriguing parts of this writing was it fundamentally covered exactly what I was thinking while reading it. I am a white man trying to relate to the experiences of an older black lesbian woman. The difference between her and I on paper could not be too much further from each other, which is the underlining point of her message. I have thought about war and oppression and have read about many stories of racism in America. Although I can confidently say, as a white man from a suburban neighborhood, I have never taken the time to reflect on, or even really acknowledge the existence the issues that may be faced for a black lesbian woman. Although, after reading this over a few times, the author makes it very clear that no one thinks about the variables she has to deal with. She is ultimately tossed into the same category has traditional women’s struggles that are dealt with today. Truthfully speaking there is a stigma attached to each word that describes a “black lesbian woman”. In America today, a black individual deals with issues most races are partially secluded from. A lesbian has dealt with issues that reflect towards the LGBT community. Lastly a woman continues a struggle towards equality on a global scale. When you combine the three, it is very clear that this authors experiences differ from what some may view has traditional feminism.

One point she brought up which I found to be very interesting but could be viewed has hypocritical to someone who is not educated on the point she was making is her quote; “but I believe one of the reasons white women have such difficulty reading black woman’s work is because they are reluctant to see Black women as women and different from themselves”. One reason I am struggling with this is simply because the question of is it truly possible to understand someone else battle adequately? Furthermore, is it truly possible for any human being on earth to not generalize a group of people? She speaks on terms of being a black lesbian woman, which is a very unique struggle to partake in. Although, does her experience has a black lesbian woman differ from experience of people just like her? As well as are all white women reluctant to read a black woman’s work or is that a generalization? I believe situations like hers happen way more often in all social struggles then we care to believe. We assume people in unique struggles are forced to pick a side. In her case, is she a woman feminist or a black woman? She said in this writing that “I find I am constantly being encourage to pluck out some aspects of my life and present this has a meaningful whole”. This is by far the most powerful quote in the writing and it can relate to many social situations today. An example would be; can a black man both respect police officers and acknowledge the social justice issues surrounding race. Has a veteran in the military, can you both support and respect your country while protesting its faults. In many social situations we find ourselves feeling pressured to pick a side and identify has a single entity, although this piece of writing show that there is far more to it than that. At the end of the day you are an individual and nobody has experienced the exact life you have, so how can one truly speak for you or organize you to fit a certain way.