Conflict: African American Women and the New Dilemma of Race and Gender Politics

by Cindy Hooper

Overview

This in-depth examination looks at African American women's navigation of the interlocking obstacles of race and gender specifically within the political arena.

Conflict: African American Women and the New Dilemma of Race and Gender Politics offers a provocative examination of an increasingly important voting bloc, one that impacted the 2008 election and whose loyalties will have far-reaching implications for future contests. This fascinating study is three-pronged. It explores the conflicts African American women experience in prioritizing race over gender, offers data-backed analysis of the substantial power of this bloc to influence elections, and looks at the ways in which the very existence of that influence impacts the political and social empowerment of this dual-identity population.

As background to the present-day story, the book surveys the history of African American females in elective office in the United States, as well as their roles in the Women's Suffrage and Civil Rights movements. The first work to undertake a study of African American women in this expansive political context, this important volume will help readers assess where African American women have been, where they are now, and what their roles might be in the future.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780313392146
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	07/20/2012
Pages:	184
Product dimensions:	6.14(w) x 9.21(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Cindy Hooper is a veteran of numerous local, state, and national political campaigns and founder of the National Organization for African-American Women.

Table of Contents

Introduction vii

1 Cohesive Representation 1

2 A Look Back 11

3 Racial Bias within the Women's Suffrage Movement 19

4 Gender Bias within the Civil Rights Movement 27

5 The Shortcomings of Black Feminism 37

6 The 2008 Presidential Election: Substance or Symbolism? 43

7 Early Indicators of Gender Preference Shift to Racial Preference 53

8 The Consequential Shift to Obama 63

9 The Historic 2008 Democratic Primaries and Caucuses 73

10 An Influential New Voting Bloc Emerges 85

11 A Renewed Sense of Obligation 93

12 The Fulfillment of the Thirteenth and Nineteenth Amendments 99

13 The 2008 Presidential Election: The Choice 115

Conclusion 129

Afterword 135

Notes 149

Bibliography 163

Index 165