Black women often ignored by social justice movements

Share on: Share on Twitter Share on Facebook Share on LinkedIn Antiracist and feminist movements often fail to advocate for the rights of Black women, who are less likely than white women to be regarded as a "typical woman” and viewed much the same as Black men, according to new University of Michigan study. "Black women are often overlooked in people's conversations about racism and sexism even though they face a unique combination of both of these forms of discrimination simultaneously,” said lead researcher Stewart Coles, a doctoral candidate in the U-M Department of Communication and Media. "This 'intersectional invisibility' means that movements that are supposed to help Black women may be contributing to their marginalization. The research was published online this week in the American Psychological Association journal Translational Issues in Psychological Science. The study was conducted online with more than 1,000 participants from the United States who were asked whether 41 positive or negative stereotypical attributes (such as hostile, sexually promiscuous or determined) were associated with different races or genders. Participants were told that their responses were not an admission that they believed these stereotypes so they would answer honestly. Some participants were asked about stereotypical attributes just for men and women or for Black people or white people.