Free Essay: L. Perkins's "Bound to Them By a Common Sorrow"

Linda Perkins assesses the black women's access to higher education in America before and after the establishment of the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (ASNLH). The efforts of the leading educated African American women towards ensuring their sisters were offered with more educational opportunities is also examined, alongside their duties in the leadership for black communities' education. The use of the black feminist theory for Intersectionality emphasizes the issues of class, gender, and race. The main argument of the author is that when the African Americans obtained civil rights that were denied to women, it affected the attitudes of both men and women towards African American women's higher education (Perkins, 2015). In the late 19th and through the 20th century, there was increased access to formal education for African Americans. Perkins also claims that women handled issues of racism that they encountered from white women, including being excluded from the national women organizations. With the increased leadership from educated black men who spoke for the women, so did the early generations of the formally educated black women.

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Summary of the Book

Perkins has provided different examples of the ways African American women increased their education awareness and knowledge levels. To pass her message, the author first introduces us to the plights that both African American men and women faced historically in the United States, which places the issue very much into context. A major recurrent theme is the denial of rights to black women, while the black men were already educated and held high leadership positions. To this end, the focus on manhood rights acted as reinforcements for the pre-existing patriarchal values among the African American community. Most of these communities believed that the contributions of the women who worked outside the house were based on necessity. Perkins argues that the formally educated African American women started using their education towards working for racial betterment (Perkins, L. M. 2015). Some of the highlighted challenges for the black women included their contributions limited to the confines of the home, social service areas, and the church.

The roles of African American men in the education system are highlighted in this article. According to the author, the rise of Booker T. Washington in the late 19th century emphasized the conservative views held towards women, and he focused on silencing socially and politically active women. These were among the challenges that women faced when trying to establish their foothold towards realizing success. Perkins (2015) analyses the African American women and higher education before 1915, highlighting all the significant steps and challenges that marked this period.

The statistics that are offered proof that there was indeed serious disparity in the levels of education among the white and African American women throughout American history. Another issue of consideration is the education of African American women after 1915, showing the steps that were made after the formation of some important organizations that promoted women's rights.

Materials Used by the Author

To reinforce her arguments about African American women's education, the author draws on various sources that provide insight into the situation as it was at the time. These sources are vital towards understanding the severity of the deprivation of women's rights and what needed to be done at the time. The sources that have been used only to increase the reader's understanding of the issue of race and access to important infrastructural services and amenities in the historical United States. An example of a source that was vital in this report was that of Kimberle Crenshaw that focused on the demarginalization of the intersection of race and sex. Crenshaw's article helped readers in realizing the ways race played vital roles in the provision of education for both African American men and women. White men and women were better placed to receive these services because they had the means to obtain them. While this was the case for the white men and women, the African American men and women were highly incapacitated because they could not afford these services (Perkins, 2015). The issues of racism compounded the troubles of African American men and women. Other sources that are used include journals and magazines that have emphasized education among the black community in the past. These sources are used because they provide better information and higher accuracy levels which increases the authenticity of the author's ideas.

Assessment of the Book

The author has articulated her ideas in an accurate way that helps readers identify with the subject. Initially, a reader who does not have an understanding of the topic cannot understand the main message of the author. Reading on, one can relate these key ideas to what the author was trying to say because of the usage of the relevant sources to back up the information. These sources improve the credibility and reliability of the information. Perkins (2015) also uses examples to show the changes and transitions that the American community has gone through, especially through the education system. To increase credibility, the author uses images of African American women who made great milestones and set the pace for African American women. Among other things, the use of images helps with improved credibility of the provided information. Therefore, the book has made appropriate use of resources, while the author has also used the right language that supports the provided data. The use of statistics also shows why and how the African American education system evolved for both African American men and women.

Reference

Perkins, L. M. (2015). "Bound to Them By a Common Sorrow": African American Women, Higher Education, and Collective Advancement. Journal of African American History, 100(4), 721-747 Retrieved from file:///C:/Users/Family%20computer/Downloads/Bound%20to%20Them%20by%20a%20Common%20Sorrow_%20African%20American%20Women,%20Higher%20Education%20(1).pdf