^ Black
Ink
By Erika F. Campbell
Editor
Dumbfounded, 1 turned of the TV. 1 had
just witnessed the most zoo-like discussion of
the rift between black women and men ever.
The focal point of this discussion, which was
held on The Sally Jesse Raphael Show, was a
book entitled The Blackman's Guide to Under
standing the Biackwoman. The excerpts that
Sally Jesse Raphael choose from the book were
unbelievably horrendous. “Slap your Biack
woman soundly across the mouth?” Surely this
woman sitting in African-type garb and referring
to me and my kind as “sister” was not saying
such things. Was she a pawn, as an oppossing
guest on the show suggested, for the Nation
Islam? I vowed to read the book and to glean
from it the real message that Ali was trying to get
aaoss.
Unfortunately, “Slap your Biackwoman
soundly across the mouth" and other techniques
on how to get your biackwoman to submit are
the basis for Mi’s book. I read and read, through
fmstration, anger and disbelief and I could not
come up with anything that would help African-
American males bridge the gap with their “God-
given counterparts”. Sure, Ali does pick out
negative aspects that exists in the biackwoman.
However, the point behind laying the real and
imaginary faults of the African-American female
squarely at the feet of the African-American male
eludes me.
In the preface to her novel, Ali says that her
book”is designed to enlighten the Blackman and
create a revolution of positive change in black
Black Ink
'The essence of freedom is understanding"
Forum
“The Blackman's Guide to Understanding
the Biackwoman/' by Shaharazad Ali
relationships”. Enlighten the black man to what,
exactly? To the fact that there are black women
who don’t clean their homes or possess one of
the other hundreds of faults that Ali lists in detail?
Surely the black man is not ignorant enough to
believe that there exists an African-American
female with all of the traits Ali heaps upon us,
thus I will not deign to speak on her sweeping
generalizations. Is she attempting to enlighten
him to the fact that black women are a real force
in the working world and can be economically
self-sufficient with out the aid of the black man?
That couldn’t be it. Any intellegent black man (
and there are many of these) who know his
history and has paid attention to various black
females in his community knows that the African-
American female has been working for a long
time. He knows that during the times when it was
hard or virtually impossible for the African-
American male to support his family due to the
strain the white society placed on him, the
Give Shaharazad Ali a
Chance, Read the Book
Before Making a Decision
By Evelyn ToUver
Contributor
The publication, “The Blackman’s Guide to
Understanding the Biackwoman,” has caused a
major uproar in the black community and across
the country. The author, Shaharazad Ali, talks
about how the blackman can gain control and
respect over his biackwoman and points out
some of the negative characteristics attributed to
the biackwoman. But, I believe that in order to
make an informed decision about Ali’s book, one
must take the time to read and digest her
argument.
In the book, Ali said “the black woman is out
of control and must be put back in her place by
soundly slapping her in the mouth.” Although
she indicates it would be wrong to beat black
women to a "bloody pulp,” she does believe
some physical activity is justifiable “if she ignores
the authority and superiority of the black man.”
Ali also says “the Black woman must be cleaned
up, because bathing is not that important. Her
heels may be dirty and crusty, the outfits may be
soiled and the woman will have a foul body odor
reaking from under her arms. It is comments like
these that have the black community in an
African-American female often worked both in
and out of the home in order to keep the family
together. Thus I am still puzzled as to what truths
Ali is attempting to enlighten the African-Ameri
can male about.
Ali falls even shorter in creating a positve
change in black relationships. How can one solve
an argument between two factions by insisting
that one side simply give up and submit. And
submission is what Ali is informing the African-
American man he should demand from the
African-American female. Fortunately, if the
discussion on The Sally Jesse Raphael Show is
any indicator of the attitudes of African-American
females in our society, it will take more than
resounding slaps across the mouth to force us all
into a drone-like submission state where all
African-American females sit at home, cook, clean
take care of kids and sew their own clothes.
Granted, Ali argues that it will be easy to mold us
into this submission state due to the fact that it is
in our ancestory to submit to the black man. After
all, all African women willingly submitted to their
husbands and thoroughly enjoyed living with
their husbands many wives. Although I will admit
to being very ignorant on the subject of African
Page 10
September 4
History (I am taking Afri 61 and 62 this semester
and hope to learn more), I am not naive enough
to believe that the life Ali is suggesting all African-
American females give in to is the one that
existed in Afria, or if it was, African females
were completely accepting of it.
Please do not mistake my earlier sarcasm for a
hatred of affairs of the home. My mother stayed at
home with me and my siblings until we were
well into school and I have more respect for her
than any other female I know. Later in life my
mother taught school, earned her real-estate li
cense, her master's degree and missioned in
Mexico. My point is that the African-American
female is a multi-faceted being. Her gifts and
talents lie in many areas. We would be doing our
culture, community and our man a great service if
we limited ourselves to taking care of our family
only. I look forward to the days when 1 will have
a family and a husband and to when my life will
be consumed with their needs. However, my
sister African-American who has the desire and
ability to be a brain surgeon rather than a wife is
no less of a “good Biackwoman” than I. We are
all needed. It has been the diversity of our sisters
that has kept our race together for the past
centuries and it will be this same strength and di
versity that will take our race in the next centu
ries.
Thus, 1 am dissapointed in Ali’s decision to
write such a novel. 1 do not want the sister to be
banned but I am puzzled by her misunderstand
ing of her own sisters and wonder what horrible
life brought her to see so clearly only the
negative aspects of African-American females.
Maybe through her writing she has exorcised
what ever problems with the African-American
female she has. I know that I have worked
through my own anger with her publication and,
unfortunately, I am left only with a sadness for
this woman who could not see a belter way to
bring the two sexes of our one race together.
outrage, and understandably so.
However, this book should be used as a guide
by every biackwoman. Because I believe every
woman can find something about themselves in
this book. In fact, 1 found myself in the book;
specifically when she talks about the games
blackwomen play with our blackmen to test their
faithfulness. While I don’t agree with everything
Ali says, I do believe she makes valid points and
I think it is important that we as women look at
this book and “take self inventory, of the woman
and her glory and put the bad things behind.”
Which in essence means, look deep within self,
admit to the negative and work towards achiev
ing the positive. If you keep a dirty house and
talk to your man in a negative manner, work to
improve that part of you. There is no reason why
anyone should be treated as an animal, male or
female.
Finally, don't just take my advice. Go borrow
the book and read it for yourself. Don't make a
decision about this book until you have read it
for yourself. Don't make a decision about this
book untill you have read it and taken self
inventory. Never make a decision with out all of
the facts. A wise person listens to both sides.
Excerpts from"7%e Blackman's Guide
to Understanding the Biackwoman''
There is never an excuse for ever hitting a
Biackwoman anywhere but in the mouth.
Because it is from that hole, in the lower part of
her face, that all her rebellion culminates into
words. Her unbridled tongue is a main reason
she cannot get along with the Blackman. She
often needs a reminder. This does not mean that
she needs, or wants, to be battered or beaten to a
bloody pulp. However, if she ignores the
authority and superiority of the Blackman, there
is a penalty. When she aosses this line and
becomes viciously insulting it is time for the
Blackman to soundly slap her in the mouth.
Often when the Biackwoman learns
something, completes a course or even reads an
article she will attempt to sound wise. She enjoys
the feeling she gets when she stumbles upon
something she can wave in front of the Black
man and claims she knows more about it. This is
particularly true of the economically elite Biack
woman. She believes her textbook knowledge
enables her to be over the Blackman. The
Blackman is not impressed with institutional
education in the same way that she is. he would
much rather hit the streets and learn things on
his own rather than take time out of his freedom
to memorize a slew of misinformation which he
doesn't believe will help him daily.
When a Blackman falls for a Biackwoman
and begins to demonstrate that he loves her
more than he loves himself, she recognizes this
as a ripe stage for her to really let it rip. The
more he professes his love the worse she will
treat him. The more he tries to give her, the
more she will demand. And the more he tries to
bed her down, the more she rejects his over
tures. The harder he tries to please her the more
critical she is of his efforts. This is a perfect
example that she does not know what to do
when put in a position to rule the Blackman.
When she is allowed to mle she thinks the
Blackman must be weak or crazy or both. She
cannot handle it. She abuses him instead of
progressively enjoying him more. And the time
is not far off when she will be looking fo
another man.
O