Revisiting "What's in a Name?": Exploring the Contours of Africana Womanist Thought

Frontiers, 2006 by Alexander-Floyd, Nikol G, Simien, Evelyn M

In the following section, we offer a general overview of the book by outlining the key tenets (or characteristics) of Africana womanism that for HudsonWeems define the "Agenda for Africana womanism."10 These characteristics total eighteen and are as follows: self-naming, self-definition, role flexibility, family-centeredness, struggling with males against oppression, adaptability, Black female sisterhood, wholeness, authenticity, strength, male compatibility, respect, recognition, respect for elders, ambition, mothering, nurturing, and spirituality. While Hudson-Weems refers to these characteristics as "distinct and diverse,"11 for purposes of analytical clarity and systematic organization, we identify three salient themes-agency, alliances, and attributes-by which to classify them.

The first theme, agency, is achieved through self-naming and selfdefinition. In African culture, self-naming or "nommo" is important because it is in "'the correct naming of a thing that it comes into existence.'"12 Drawing on the work of Lerone Bennett, Jr., Daphne Williams Ntiri notes in the introduction to Africana Womanism that "Naming is too critical an act to be left in the hands of the dominant group" and Black people have "an increasing need for self-naming, self-defining and self-identity."13 In African culture, self-definition serves as the basis for collective action and individual identity.14 It is the means by which people of African descent can assert their own vision of their reality in opposition to that of the dominant culture.15 Africana womanism is therefore deemed the most authentic (or accurate) label for women of African descent concerned with patriarchy, as it resonates with the historical and cultural experiences of the constituency that it aims to serve.16

The second theme, alliances, includes family-centeredness, wholeness, authenticity, flexible role-playing, adaptability, political alignment with Black men, and "genuine sisterhood" with Black women. The first five-family-centeredness, wholeness, authenticity, flexible role-playing, and adaptability-speak to Black women's commitment to family. According to Hudson-Weems, while "the mainstream feminist is self-centered or female-centered, interested in self-realization and personal gratification," Africana womanists are family-centered and community-centered, interested in collective outcomes and group achievement.17 Sexism is an important problem, but not one that supersedes racism.18 From slavery on, Black women have been deprived of the material circumstances to "stay at home." Nonetheless, they are spiritually connected to the home.19 As with self-naming and self-definition, the emphasis on family is rooted in African culture. Whereas "wholeness ([or] completeness)" dictates that she put family first, but not to the neglect of career, "authenticity ([or] cultural connection)" is achieved to the extent that her identity is African-based.20 The Africana woman then values family as part of her African heritage.