Most people associate women's rights with the Seneca Falls Convention of the 1840's and with Susan B Anthony and Elizabeth Stanton. That is not where the women's struggled ended. Numerous women were active in these campaigns but were left nameless, including many women of color. Black women activists were left in the background. Compared to the white women activists, few, such as Sojourner Truth, have received significant recognition. Many black women wanted to see change and subsequently rallied among their own race to abolish slavery. They have also worked to uplift the black race, achieve a voice in government and work toward equality for the race as for themselves as women.
The main thing on the mind of the black women were to first abolish slavery because that was most urgent and the most necessary for any change for the future. Black women dreamed of racial and gender equality. Many women published letters, diaries and notes to give an image of all that was in the mind of a black women. Many offered examples of the abuse and prejudice that African Americans endured. One of the most famous male advocates of women's rights was Frederick Douglass. He was a leading black abolitionist who communicated his concerns through letters, speeches, and articles in the press. .
In Africa, black women were revered by there beauty, strength and intelligence. They had roles of queens and pharaohs. They even lead armies. In America, Euro-centric ideas were applied and white Anglo-Saxon women were what America supposedly wanted. Black women were seen as nothing more than manual laborers because they were able to perform more work than white women. The effects of the enslavement of black women has probably played a huge role in how they are viewed today by society and their own communities. One occasionally sees or reads that it is "harder to be a black man in America." The phrase alone belittles black women and our struggle for equality and recognition.
