Black women: the forgotten trailblazers

Abstract

[From paper] The 1960s and 1970s were decades of large-scale upheaval and change in the United States. Several social movements brought about this change, two of the most prominent being the Civil Rights Movement and the Women’s Liberation Movement. The group who experienced the intersection of these movements, black women, suffered greatly from never being a priority in either one. This compounded oppression did not end within these movements but was a part of their everyday life. While both movements aimed to bring about positive change, black women were pushed to the side and forgotten. This pattern did not end at these social movements, but rather was the norm in society and even on college campuses. Black women attending Towson State College in the 1960s and 1970s were the most marginalized group of students due to the intersection of both racism and sexism that they experienced. This intersection created challenges for black women such as lack of leadership roles, minimal representation in student government organizations, and very few programs or services meant to engage and uplift black women on campus.