Prof looks at black women's roles

Patricia Hill Collins, the author of Black Feminist Thought, spoke about African-American women's role in the feminist movement last night in Bodek Lounge. "Has anyone ever called you a name? A bad name? The 'N' word if you're African American? The 'B' word if you're a woman?" Collins asked her audience of approximately 60 students, faculty members and community members. Collins, an associate professor of African-American studies at the University of Cincinnati, explained that most people who have been victims of this type of abuse choose merely to absorb it, rather than take action against it. As a result, Collins is currently working on a book entitled Fighting Words. She defines the notion of "fighting words" as "words that incite people to violence." Collins proceeded to share excerpts from a chapter in her new book called, Reclaiming the Vision: Black Feminist Thought and Afrocentricity. Afro-centrism, she explained, is "an attempt to respond to fighting words ? Afro-centrism has to be self-reflective about its own practices." Collins spoke about gender discrimination in great detail. She examined the nationalist ideology which proclaims that man is the "warrior," whereas woman is the "keeper of the nation," specifically regarding household and family life. She concluded that these gender roles are complementary, promoting a healthy relationship between men and women. Therefore, this type of thinking is a positive step toward undermining the gender barriers, although many more steps need to be taken. Collins also characterized the Anita Hill-Clarence Thomas conflict as "a turning point in gender politics in the African-American community." Next, Collins introduced the "outsider within" theory and linked this ideology directly to African-American women. She said African-American women have insider knowledge, but are kept outside of academic processes. In addition, she said that the "outsider within" theory tries to illuminate that emotions are fused with intellect. Reactions to the speech were very positive. "Collins is right at the edge in terms of raising questions and stimulating responses," University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill student Jean Harris said.