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Difficulty: MediumBlack Feminist and Womanist Movements

Read the following excerpt from activist and legal scholar Pauli Murray's 1964 address:

"The Negro woman can no longer postpone her fight for equal rights as a woman until the race problem is solved... She must be concerned with the rights of all women, because she is a woman; and she must be concerned with the rights of all Negroes, because she is a Negro. This is the essence of her struggle against 'Jane Crow.'"

Based on the excerpt, Murray's concept of "Jane Crow" most directly supports which of the following arguments?

  1. Black women experience a dual oppression of race and gender that requires a unified struggle for both civil rights and women's rights.Answer
  2. B
    Black women should prioritize racial justice activism and delay addressing gender-based discrimination until legal segregation is dismantled.
  3. C
    The political concerns of Black women are identical to those of mainstream, white-led feminist groups, making separate advocacy organizations unnecessary.
  4. D
    Gender discrimination is a concern that should be addressed exclusively by white women, while Black women focus on racial solidarity.

Answer

Black women experience a dual oppression of race and gender that requires a unified struggle for both civil rights and women's rights.
The correct answer is correct because Murray explicitly states that Black women cannot put off their struggle for women's rights in favor of racial justice, nor can they ignore racial justice. Her concept of 'Jane Crow' articulates the dual discrimination of race and sex, asserting that Black women must fight against both forms of oppression simultaneously.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the excerpt to identify Murray's description of the dual struggle.
Murray states that a Black woman cannot postpone her fight as a woman and must be concerned with both women's rights and racial equality.
This establishes the core argument that race and gender struggles are concurrent and inseparable for Black women.
2
Define 'Jane Crow' based on Murray's text.
'Jane Crow' represents the unique, overlapping discrimination faced by Black women due to both their race and their gender.
Understanding this concept allows students to link it to early theories of intersectionality and double jeopardy.
3
Match this definition to the correct argument.
The argument that Black women experience dual oppression and must fight for both civil rights and women's rights matches Murray's text.
It accurately reflects Murray's call to not postpone the fight for women's rights while also fighting for racial justice.

Key Concept

The intersection of race and gender discrimination (double jeopardy/Jane Crow)
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Topics

Black Feminist and Womanist Movements

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