Sojourner Truth

Sojourner Truth told her story on being black and a woman, and the sexism that was brought about during slavery. She promoted education for men and women of all color and race. Whether red, green, purple or rainbow, if they are educated properly they could do anything in life. Only men were being educated while the women were supposed to be in the house taking care of the young. Women wanted an education too. When women were being educated they were  being taught things they already knew how to do such as, sweeping, cleaning, cooking, and taking care of the house. Men believed that a women’s territory was the home. They needed to be Christians and to instill morality into society, but they wanted to be taught the same as the men. Today, men and women of every ethnicity are being educated in the same schools so everybody is receiving the same education as the next person. Just like education was important then it is important now and is a very big part of men and women’s lives everywhere.

RAPE

Who’s at risk for rape?

            Anybody can be a victim of rape. Women between the ages of fourteen and twenty-five are at high risk of being raped.  Rape is a very terrible crime and is committed to a woman everyday in some part of the world. Do women asked to be raped? NO, they do not and because it is often committed by a very trust worthy person it is almost never reported. Some people try to blame the victim and that is not right and that’s a reason why rapes don’t get reported. People may take one look at the girl and then it becomes, “oh she asked for it!”, “she wanted it”, or “she knew I wanted it”. No woman wants to be raped or violated in any type of way. Unless the words “rape me” comes out of a woman’s mouth then she didn’t ask for it, “YOU” wanted it but did “SHE” want it? Rape victims sometimes don’t report their rapes because they have to relive the event, talk about it and feel degraded, they know that depending on who the person is their story may not be taken serious. I personally don’t think it should matter who the person is “HE” violated “HER” and the story should be investigated just as it would if it was somebody close to you! RAPE CAN BE STOPPED AND MEN ARE THE ONES WHO HAVE TO STOP IT!!!

Interview #1

1.      What is your name? Maiden and Marriage (if applicable)

a.       Crystal Ellis (Maiden)

b.      Crystal Cole (Marriage)

2.      Where were you born?

a.       Batesville, MS

3.      Where did you grow up?

a.       Batesville, MS

4.      What were your parents names and occupations?

a.       Father- Willie B. Ellis                                                         

b.      Mother- Lucielle

                                                            

5.      What was your life like growing up as a black girl in Batesville?

a.       I had an okay childhood.

6.      Did you ever encounter racism? Explain?

a.       Very Little. Our school made sure that the differences among black students and white students were known.

7.      What, if anything, do you remember your parents telling you about race?

a.       It’s the color of a person’s skin

b.      Don’t worry about what they got just be thankful for what you have (referring to the white race)

8.  What did your parents tell you or instill in you regarding being a woman, specifically a black woman?

a.       Be proud, and that I could do anything that I wanted.

9.  Did you attend school? Yes or No, why or why not? 

a.       Yes, I graduated from high school

b.      I also attended college

10.  What was it like in school for you as a black female? 

a.       Very good, I was in all the excel classes (only black girl). I was popular with both races and had a lot of friends.

11.  Did you graduate and attend college? [Ask questions here to get more info regarding education ect.]

a.       Yes.

12.  Did you get married?  To who?  When?  [Ask about the circumstances]

a.       Yes, I married James Cole Sr.

13.  Did you have any children? Yes or No? How many?  Why?  Was this a choice or just happened?  If no children, you could ask them why they chose not to or was it medical reasons.

a.       Yes, I have five.

14.  Ask them about their adult life and what it was like living as a black woman? 

a.       In Batesville it wasn’t the best but I made the best of it.

b.      I was one of the first black nurses so I had to do what I needed to take care of my family.

15.  Ask them if there are any specific stories that they would like to share regarding their adulthood life and being a black woman

a.       It didn’t happen to me but it happened to one of my children in high school. One of my daughters was supposed to win the homecoming queen and because three young black ladies had won the previous years they gave it to a white young lady.

16.  What do you think about people dating outside of their race?  Black men marrying white women and black women marrying white men?

a.       If it makes them happy then why should it bother me?

17.  What issues do you think most affect black Americans today?

a.       Black men in prison

b.       Women and single family homes

b.      Drugs and alcohol

c.      Medicare issues

10 THING WOMEN CAN DO TO PREVENT VIOLENCE AGAINST THEMSELVES!!

Realize that gender violence is a major social problem that deeply affects the lives of all

women.

2. Focus on how you, as an empowered bystander, can support other women by confronting the

behavior of abusive males.

3. Gently offer your help and support if you suspect a woman close to you is being abused or

has been sexually assaulted.

4. Educate and empower your peers and younger women to end sexism and not tolerate abuse.

5. Familiarize yourself with the resources available to women in your school, on your campus,

and in your community.

6. Support women and men who are working to end men's violence against women.

7. Recognize and speak out against homophobia and gay-bashing.

8. Support women's sports as a means of teaching girls to be confident in their athletic abilities

and strong in body and spirit.

9. Respect yourself and use your strength as an example to empower other women around you.

10. Refuse to purchase any magazines, videos, or music that portray women in a degrading or

violent matter.
http://lookingglasstheatre.org/trust/10_Things_You_Do_to_Stop_Rape.pdf

10 THINGS MEN CAN DO TO PREVENT RAPE

1. Realize gender violence is a men's issue that affects women that you care about.

2. Don't remain silent--confront the abusive behavior in other males.

3. Understand how your own attitudes and actions may perpetuate sexism and violence and

work towards changing them.

4. Gently offer your help and support if you suspect that a woman close to you is being abused

or has been sexually assaulted.

5. Respect women and treat them as equals.

6. Be an ally to women who are working to end all forms of gender violence.

7. Recognize and speak out against homophobia and gay-bashing.

8. Educate yourself and others about masculinity, gender inequality, and the root causes of

gender violence.

9. Mentor and teach boys about how to be men in ways that don't involve degrading or abusing

girls and women.

10. Refuse to purchase any magazines, videos, or music that portray women in a degrading or

violent matter.
http://lookingglasstheatre.org/trust/10_Things_You_Do_to_Stop_Rape.pdf

Myths and Facts about Rape

Myths and Facts about Rape and

Black Communities

Myth:

against white women.

The majority of rapes are committed by black men

Fact:

and economic class.

90% of rapes occur between people of the same race

Myth:

sex.

Black women are promiscuous and always ready for

Fact:

part in silencing us. Many black women fear that speaking

out about sexual abuse may only cause people to think that

black families/communities are more violent.

Myths about black women’s sexuality play a large

Myth:

Most rapists are strangers.

Fact:

the rapist knows his victim. 85% of sexual assaults are

perpetrated by an aquaintance.

While a rapist can be anyone, it is more likely that

Myth:

white women.

Black women are raped at a much higher rate than

Fact:

than whites or persons of other races. Rates of rape and

sexual assault had similar incidence rates in 2001.

http://www.incasa.org/PDF/brochures/women_of_color_and_rape.pdfWhile black women are victims of violent crime more

Why White Women Choose Black Men - #1 of 5

Does it really matter if a White woman dates a Black man?

To me it doesn't matter because if he's happy then why shouldn't he date her, the problem is when they try to put themselves in situations they dnt belong in. Although some black men date white women because they feel as if they can do what they want and when they want and even run the relationship without her putting in her input. A strong blak woman is going to speak her mind and say what needs to be said. Because black women are said to be loud, ghetto, controling, and etc they are often messed over and because the white woman is going to sit there and take whatever is said to her she is chosen.

"The Colored Girl"

The passage that caught my attention is where it talks about the "colored" girl and how she has to deal with more pain and problems than any other woman simply because of her skin color. It wrong that even though she has a right to everything like everybody else a higher authority is always going to find a way to stop her from receiving it. She is always doing what is unexpected of her and she is has courage and demands respect. The black woman works to have a social status for her race and gender and even though the black man is hard working he is only focused on doing things for men, not the whole race or women. No matter what the black man does he wouldn't be here without the balck woman so why work to establish a social status for the women as well? No matter what a man does or what the world says the woman will establish a social staus with or without the help of a man.

Sara Baartman

   After watching "Hottentot Venus" I feel like Sara was truly done wrong because she was only a child when she left her homeland. I think it was wrong how they kept he locked in a cage and treated her like an animal. It makes me wonder what do people see when they look at me and other Black women. I think it's strange that they felt a need to cut out her genitals to examine them to see if she was really a animal or human. All women don't look alike nor are they shaped the same, Baartman was considered a freak because she had a large buttocks and wider hips. The way that her body was exploited by both women and men was wrong to me because they could have done one of the European women the way she was being done. No person should be treated the way she was and kept in a cage and told to walk back and forth for people to look at or put on a schedule and told people are coming to look at you b/c you're a freak or strange. I think because of her body being exploited I feel like when men look at women they feel like all women are supposed to have the big buttocks and "average" size breasts with wide hips. European men thought that Sara Baartman was a beautiful being and they wanted to be with her but becaue society wouldn't except it they had to make something be wrong with the way she looked and so that they wouldn't feel the way they did about her.

What is race and should it matter?

Race is a psychological thing. When we walk pass a person or see a person the first thing we see is the color of their skin and we automatically assume that they are black or white. I don't think that there is an actual race because no one person is what they may appear to look. I don't think that race should matter because we are all human and reguarless of our skin color we are all male or female which is what really separates us form one another. Even though people say that we won't be discriminated against because of our skin color, gender, sexual orientation, and etc. we really are in reality, but nobody is going to tell us that something didn't happen or we didn't get something because of the way we look.