Focusing on the treatment of black women within the university, I will assert that negative portrayals of black women has a lasting presences in Western society. Critical race theorists, such as Kimberlee Crenshaw, identify the intersectionality which segregates women of color. Crenshaw, primarily looking at Western society, notes that women of color, especially black women, are constantly trying to escape negative stereotypes. In the academy, professors Gabriella Gutierrez y Muhs and Yolanda Flores Niemann talk about how difficult it is for women of color to be treated fairly within the academic world. Using their anthology Presumed Incompetence: The Intersections of Race and Class for Women in Academia, I will expose the ghost of Jim Crow within the academic world.
During the Jim Crow era, caricatures such as Mammy, Jezebel, and Sapphire were used to depict black women negatively: angry, ugly, overly sexual, and unintelligent. In Western society, some people believe that black women are unintelligent no matter how many degrees they possess. As a way to deconstruct these myths, I will analyze these cultural constructs in order to understand the presumed incompetence assigned to women of color in the academic world.
About the presenterErica Smith
Erica Smith is a full-time college student who is majoring in Literature. She attends Kutztown University and works full-time in the operations department at the university. After graduating, Erica aspires to attend Howard University to receive her doctorate in Literature. Aside from her education and work experience, Erica enjoys watching movies, attending concerts, and traveling.