Over the years, black women have been viewed as tough individuals who are able to endure any difficult situation, be it physical or emotional, a myth that is widely spread among the American people. Although these false beliefs undermined them, black women have risen through the ranks to put their mark in trying to shape the world with their intelligence and talent. Black women have much to offer and have done so by providing leadership in media houses, corporation and even the military (Hooks, 1981). A good example is Oprah Winfrey, having been raised through the hostile black environment and being a black woman, which has shown incredible strength to become one biggest media shows owner. Other prominent black women who have gained a worldwide recognition include Venus Williams, an Olympic tennis champion who has had many records broken. This paper will elucidate the underlying elements in shifting as articulated in the book, Shifting: The Double Lives of Black Women in America. The paper will also analyze how the shifting has affected the livelihoods of black women in America from the psychological and emotional standpoint.
The authors of the book; Shifting: The Double Lives of Black Women in America, try to show the Black Women perspective on what they have got to endure in their day to day activities while living under the shadows of race and gender bias. The authors go on narrating the workplace complexities they have encountered for being black and different in spiritual and religious practices. Jones & Shorter-Gooden (2009) find that “In June 2002 Gallup poll, 61percent of Black Women said they were dissatisfied with how blacks are treated in society.” The society is governed by old myths which are oppressive to the black race and end up challenging the black woman to believe what they are being told and not what they know.
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The society believes that if a black woman is strong then she is not beautiful and cannot be feminine which is not true (Jones & Shorter-Gooden, 2009 p.67). The argument is based on the misinformed premise that black women are inferior. Keeping this in mind, black women have to struggle just to prove they are as competent as other non-black associates. There is also the stereotype that black women are criminals which leads to them being harassed by police officers and security guards without even doing any mistake. Various cases have been reported on black women who have been subjected to police brutality. Black women are subjected to race and gender discrimination whereby research shows that at least 10 percent of them remember being called “nigger” ((Jones & Shorter-Gooden, 2009). Most black women are forced to shift their behavior just to accommodate the white people by changing their tone and the way they speak. The shifting, as Jones & Shorter-Gooden (2009), affects their mental and psychological health.
Black women are also said to experience workplace discrimination whereby; they have problems being hired for being black. Also, even if they get the job, they are not paid equitably and there is no fair promotion (Hooks, 1981). A black woman may have gotten the job first but a new white colleague may rise above the ranks faster. Black women may also be forced to submerge their strengths and talents just to support black men as pressure to fulfill traditional gender roles of being submissive. They also experience increasing pressure to live up to Eurocentric beauty standards throughout their growth period. The feeling of being unattractive impacts their self-esteem and relationship with men.
While shifting may seem to fulfill the primary aim of fitting in the society, the act has also been affiliated with various psychological and mental health problems. The same struggles are depicted by Bell Hooks in her book “Ain’t I a Woman?” talking about black women and feminism. She narrates that black women back in the slavery days were perceived as sexually promiscuous which is still the case in today’s society, where many black women in America are being sexually abused. Even after these dehumanizing circumstances, they still cannot say anything about it for fear of not being believed.
(Jones & Shorter-Gooden, 2009) state that their information was obtained from The African American Women’s Voices Project. The project, as the authors state, is an extensive research project that they started with an aim of exploring the experiences of black women on racial discrimination and gender bias. They also explored the impacts they have on them and the measure they have had to undertake to counter such challenges. The significance is to show other victims that they are not alone and have got to stand in solidarity to end race and gender discrimination. Gone are the days when black women were considered inferior and now they have the chance to offer the world something of their own without fear of being oppressed.
Book Analysis: Chapter 1
Considering the first chapter, the process of shifting is viewed as a practice employed by the African American to accommodate the difference in class and ethnicity to ensure survival in society (Jones & Shorter-Gooden, 2009 p.67). Black women tend to hide their true selves to accommodate their white colleagues because they are perceived to be servers for other people’s satisfaction. They shift by changing their attitude, tone and even outward behavior. Some have even mastered the shifting behavior and can change their voice and tone without even knowing.
Shifting has evolved over the years and in today’s world, it includes black women keeping silent when white colleagues harass them for fear they will not be believed. They would also act eager and not aggressive during work time so as not to alienate the white boss. Afterward, they will have to shift again at home to accommodate their husbands. A shift in the voice comes into existence when black women have to speak one way in the office, another way with their girlfriends and yet another way with elderly relatives. Black women will also choose to work overtime even when they are exhausted just to prove to their white bosses they are not lazy.
Shifting can also force black women to ignore racist comments or address them in such a way that they are not labeled aggressive. Brah & Phoenix (2004) argue that Shifting will have black mothers train their children how to cope with discrimination in addition to providing basic needs, nurture and guidance. Shifting will have black women trying on a number of outfits every morning just to look for the best outlook that will not be discriminating against them. They would also frequently submerge their talents and strengths just to support their black men. Shifting can also have black women changing their hair from dreadlocks to straightened hair, it can even have them overprepare for classes just to prove they are capable and intelligent.
However, there are few black women who do not think that they must shift in order to survive especially the high achieving ones. Somewhere along the line while trying to prove themselves many black women break down emotionally or physically as a result of pressure from negative messages. They start doubting their own worth and capabilities and start believing the falsehoods they have created. This causes them to be vulnerable to psychological problems. They would start to experience anxiety and their self-esteem will be lowered. They will be depressed with disordered eating habits and will hate themselves it. They might have shifted to impress others but deva stately impacted themselves. Being sexually harassed and not saying anything about it can affect one both emotionally and mentally and ignoring racist comments can be emotional torture.
To summarize, Jones & Shorter-Gooden’s (2009) book is a concise depiction of what black women are facing, not only in America but also in other parts of the world. The book incorporates several realms, key among them psychology and mental health. The two topics are essential in describing the challenges that a black woman encounters, as they invariably affect the strong voice of a black woman. The shifting of roles and the general perception demeans black women psychologically, as they have to face the negative stereotypes that they encounter every day.
References
Jones, M. C., & Shorter-Gooden, K. (2009). Shifting: The double lives of Black women in America . Harper Collins.
Hooks, B. (1981). Ain't I a Woman Black Women and Feminism.
Brah, A., & Phoenix, A. (2004). Ain’t IA woman? Revisiting intersectionality. Journal of International Women's Studies , 5 (3), 75-86.
