The Civil Rights Movement Gave birth to many self-empowerment groups. Amongst those was the black feminist. Whether or not one agrees with the concept of black feminism, or feminism at all for that matter, it may be beneficial to know about the black feminist movement in order to fully understand the role of black women in afro-centric communities, and why many black women feel that they are oppressed. This is a very predominant feeling within these communities and one that needs to be understood

Knowledge of this topic may also further your understanding of race and gender relations. To help you fully comprehend this subject I will define black feminism, inform you of how it began, and give you a brief history of two well known black feminists, one from the past and one from the present.

From the beginning of slavery, through the anti-discrimination movements of the 1960s and 70s, to present day, black women have fought for a voice to be heard. It has been given many names such as womanism and Black American Feminism, but the purpose of black feminism remains the same, to recognize the oppression placed upon black women by race, gender, and class.

In her essay, she Thought in the Matrix of Domination, well known black feminist author Patricia Hill Collins states that the distinguishing feature of black feminism [from mainstream feminism] is its insistence that black women must make a change in their communities before they will be accepted as equals. Black feminist believe in knowledge as a way of empowerment.