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

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

Through the characteristics associated with the third theme, attributes, Clenora Hudson-Weems posits an essential, Black female subject. These characteristics-strength, male compatibility, respect, recognition, respect for elders, ambition, mothering, nurturing, and spirituality-are all necessary to have a vital and authentic Black female identity. Hudson-Weems argues that these characteristics are all derived from African culture. The power of these characteristics is that, taken together, they, along with the characteristics associated with agency and alliances, represent a litmus test for identifying those women who are or who are not sufficiently Black and Afrocentric. Those who remain loyal to the race affirm, adopt, and/or exhibit the attributes of the Africana womanist.

Significantly, Hudson-Weems positions herself as a loyal race woman not only by emphasizing these attributes but also by asserting the primacy of race over class and (most especially) gender. She asserts that Black women who adopt the term "feminist," even if they insert the adjective "Black," are at best confused and at worst betrayers of the race. Hudson-Weems goes on to explain how most in Black communities view Black feminists:

[T]hey [i.e., Africana women and men] hold to the opinion that those Africana women who embrace the feminist movement are mere assimilationists or sellouts who, in the final analysis, have no true commitment to their culture or their people, particularly as it relates to the historical and current collective struggle of Africana men and women.^sup 77^

She argues, moreover, that many Black feminists embrace feminism out of "either naivete about the history and ramifications of feminism or on negative experiences with Africana men."^sup 78^ Duped into adopting an "alien framework,"^sup 79^ Black feminists join White women in deeming gender the "most critical [factor] in [Black women's] quest for empowerment and selfhood."^sup 80^

Through her characterization of Black feminists as sell-outs or assimilationists, Hudson-Weems implicitly establishes herself as a sophisticated and knowledgeable woman. Where Black feminists, according to Hudson-Weems, are "na�ve" about historical realities, she understands that racism, unlike sexism, is a threat to Black female and male survival. In addition to being loyal, politically sophisticated, and knowledgeable, Clenora Hudson-Weems (as Africana womanist) presents herself as empathetic, being concerned about the plight of Black men and the entire Black community. Unlike a number of Black feminists, she does not believe "that all or most Africana men are less worthy than women."^sup 81^ Interestingly, in the end, although Clenora Hudson-Weems promotes "true sisterhood" among Black women and bemoans competition among Black women and the emotional violence this is said to generate,^sup 82^ her theory of Africana womanism rests on a derisive and divisive differentiation between the type of women who are Africana womanists and those who are Black or African feminists as well as womanists. The Black feminine ideal that Clenora Hudson-Weems projects for herself through Africana womanism is a model she hopes other Black women will be inspired to adopt.