African American Women's Empowerment

Within the United States’ culture, racist and sexist ideologies permeate the social structure and serve as norms to such an extreme degree that they become hegemonic and seen as natural, ordinary, and predestined. From corporate institutions, to religious institutions, to academic institutions, Black women have been slighted the opportunity to be seen as equals when it comes to their counterparts. Despite progress, sex and race bias present unique challenges to African-American women, especially within the academe. There has been an increasingly number of women participating in higher education (Brown-Glaude, 2010). And, unfortunately, acceptance of African-American women 's scholarship and fair compensation reflecting their contribution are

Fostering this both Black women’s empowerment and conditions of social justice within the academe can align with the movement that adequately addresses intersectionality of race, gender, and class, the Black feminist movement. While this theoretical framework has been studied in several fields of study, the black feminist movement within higher education is uncharted in the field of African American studies. The Black Feminist Movement developed out of, and in response to, the Black Liberation Movement and the Women 's Movement. In an attempt to meet the social needs of black women who felt they were being racially oppressed in the Women 's Movement and sexually subjugated in the Black Liberation Movement, the Black Feminist Movement was created. The distinction Knocking the term "white feminist," dawned the name black

The feelings of isolations and perceptions of hostility by Black women students and faculty are often related with their research interests as well as underrepresented faculty studying theses related issues of race and ethnicity, gender, or poverty (Wallace, 2014). The misconception that while there is a rise of women participating in the academy academic culture has not progressed. The need to better understand feminist scholarship and how women are treated in the academy to those that are a part of the academy is essential. There are missing voices and the need to increase the diversity of thought, including increasing the presence of explicitly Black feminist work, the higher education community must work together. It is not the sole responsibility of the Black feminist scholars to introduce feminist and gendered work into the studies, although those efforts must continue, to create a change within the academic climate. To create a change, the climate must become where there is no longer concern that gendered work will be devalued or disregarded (Hart, 2006). There have been numerous efforts at defining marginalization and identifying methods through which Black women have become marginalized. Collins (1991) addresses of the outsider within status, often occupied by Black women in work situations. She suggests that Black women work with colleagues that often occupy different demographics, including: race, class and gender. In each of these social locations Black women