Black women, the patriarchy, systems of oppression, and multi-generational trauma
“The most disrespected person in America is the Black woman. The most unprotected person in America is the Black woman. The most neglected person in America is the Black woman.” — Malcolm X.
My semester learning and engaging with works of Black women, most of which face the adverse effects of multi-generational trauma from patterns of emotional abuse, physical abuse, historical trauma, or cheating partners, has been so impactful. Multi-generational trauma is one of the most prevalent occurrences in society and different cultures, yet one not discussed nearly enough. There is much research on the long-term impacts of such trauma, and many Black authors address this history in their work. With no prior knowledge of multi-generational trauma, I have come to know it as a plaguing result of the patriarchy and systems of oppression embedded in American society. As a disclaimer, not all matters of multi-generational trauma are connected to one or even both of these concepts. This blog is in the case of Black women and my interpretations throughout my semester engaging with their work.
Let’s first break down what these mean and how they show up in our society before understanding how they’re correlated and relate to multi-generational trauma.
The patriarchal system embodies a male-dominated power structure within society and different cultures. The patriarchy appears in every aspect of a cultural and societal structure. Most cultures value this patriarchal society in which men have most if not all of the power. Power is related to privilege, meaning one who has power has privilege.
Systems of oppression are institutions built against specific groups of people. These systems form laws to maintain and/or create unequal power and treatment of marginalized groups. Systems of oppression are embedded in American society (and within other societies and cultures) and American history. While American society outwardly appears to have moved forward, these structures are so embedded and woven into our society that the inequities we have “solved” are allowing these inequities to continue.
A prominent British sociologist, Sylvia Walby, defines patriarchy”as a system of social structures, and practices in which men dominate, oppress and exploit women.” The patriarchy is a system of oppression built against women. However, systems of oppression also target those of different races, religions, classes, and many more groups of people. This blog post hopes to evaluate how the patriarchy and systematic oppression against Black people marginalize and impact Black women and multi-generational trauma. This topic has pondered my mind ever since I first listened to and watched Lemonade and heard the Malcolm X quote shared at the beginning of this blog.
This definition of multi-generational trauma from M. Gerard Fromm is one that struck me throughout my research. They say, “What human beings cannot contain their experience — what has been traumatically overwhelming, unbearable, unthinkable — falls out of the social discourse, but very often onto and into the next generation as an affective sensitivity or a chaotic urgency.” Multi-generational trauma results from colonization by the white man and systems of oppression dating back to the Transatlantic Slave Trade (Jackson, 2020). This type of historical trauma is so deeply rooted and impactful that it continues to be passed from generation to generation. Some of these impacts include economic hardship, cycles of abuse, and the normalization of violence and abuse (Jackson, 2020) against Black women.
In preparation for writing this piece, I read Africa Jackson’s piece on multi-generational trauma, in which she conducted an interview with three generations of Black women in one family. I highly recommend you read this article linked here, as it was compelling and moving, and it’s where I was able to obtain a solid foundational understanding of this topic to feel comfortable enough to write this piece. It talks about the internalization of these traumas from the generations prior and how trauma is just another part of the interactions and narratives that they receive. These two ideas caused me to pause and reflect on Beyoncé’s Lemonade and some other work by prominent Black women I have engaged with.
Something I find powerful about Beyoncé’s work in Lemonade is it brings awareness to multi-generational trauma and betrayal. Through words and imagery, it brings light to the patriarchy and systemic oppression. However, Beyoncé doesn’t only highlight the impacts of multi-generational trauma but also highlights multi-generational healing through women empowerment and connective imagery.
Beloved is a powerful novel by Toni Morrison that highlights multi-generational trauma and its side effects, including cycles of abuse, violence, and psychological impacts. The main character, Sethe, was enslaved and faced horrible experiences and violence. As a result of Sethe’s trauma, she decides to kill her child, believing death was better than her child enduring slavery. There is a lot of judgment around Sethe’s decision, including on page 204, “She should have known that he would behave like everybody else in town once he knew.” Paul D, Sethe’s lover, had heard of Sethe’s decision and turned against her, but not before telling her that her “love is too thick” (Morrison, 193). For the rest of the novel, Sethe’s decision to kill her child would haunt her and her youngest child, Denver. Beloved’s character is a manifestation of Sethe and Denver’s trauma, loss, and horrific memories.
Lonely in America by Wendy Walters is a piece that connects the horrors of slavery to the modern world we all live in. Walters contemplates her guilt, shame, and healing. Two important things to highlight from Walters’ experience regarding her ancestors’ likely enslavement and the cruel history surrounding her every day. First, on page 35, she says, “…that to become free from disappointment, one must acknowledge the obvious, then learn to live with it.” Followed by “At some point, I’m not sure when I grew accustomed to its weight and stopped noticing I was carrying it around.” (Walters, 58). These quotes emphasize the modern-day impacts of multi-generational trauma and its weight on the backs of those victimized by systematic oppression and the patriarchy.
Jackson, A. (2020, June 4). What does intergenerational trauma and healing look like for Black women? Hello Giggles. https://hellogiggles.com/lifestyle/intergenerational-trauma-black-women/
Walby, S. (1989, May). Theorising Patriarchy. JSTOR. https://www.jstor.org/stable/42853921?seq=2
Morrison, T. (1987). Beloved. Alfred A. Knopf Inc.
Walters, W. (2016). Lonely in America. Jesmyn Ward (Ed.), The Fire This Time. (33–58). Scribner.
