It is not that Black women have not been and are not strong; it is simply that this is only a part of our story, a dimension, just as the suffering is another dimension— one that has been most unnoticed and unattended to. —bell hooks, Talking Back
In “Lessons Learned through Double-Dutch: Black Feminism and Intersectionality in Educational Research," Corrie L. Theriault explains the concept of self-care and feminism for Black women as more or less “finding yourself.” Theriault widens the concept of double dutch in order to see it as “jumping through hoops" as a way to help Black women's self-discovery come to fruition alongside the focus on sister circles and the movement for self-love. Central questions are: “How will my skin-tone be received? Will I be considered a sellout? Will I inspire young women? Will they think I’m [too] powerful? How will my race affect my data collections and findings?” (Theriault, 2015)
Data Collection of Black Women's Liberation MEthodology
To start things off, I decided to sit down with a couple of friends/coworkers from the ages of 29-35 to discuss abuse in our Caribbean culture and different encounters. Questions 1. How and when did the abuse start? 2. Why did you stay during the abuse? 3. Have you seen the cycle of abuse within our own home with your parents?
The concept of double-dutch and its focus on jumping between the rope with sisters relates well to the Black feminist notion of coming out of a negative situation and walking into a sister circle to be embraced with love and joy: “The Black feminist framework allows Black women to reject dominant narratives that suggest singular identities and serves as a space to question methods that distance the observer from the object of study, thereby denying a facet of the social construction of knowledge” (Theriault, 2015). With double dutch and its use of “me next” or “all together now,” Black women can be represented as women who overcome the trials and tribulations they must endure and bring forth a more positive resolution to said situations. Black feminism and sisterhood offer solutions to combat abuse because, having a strong circle can help against very trying and dangerous situations.
Theriault, C., L. (2015). Lessons Learned Through Double-Dutch. In Black Feminism and Intersectionality in Educational Research(183-189). New York, NY: Peter Lang. This page was created by Brandon Daley.