Black women did not hide the fact that they viewed white women in the feminist movement as a threat and rival for the attention of the culture's men. Black womens' worst fears were realized; when sexual contact occurred between black men and white women during this time, leaving them harbored with a sense of rejection. Black women complained of the preferential treatment white women received from black men. Black women have never forgotten what happened during this time frame in the name of coalition politics.
The one attitude that black women commonly shared was contempt for the intent of the feminist movement. They viewed it as an upper middle class white woman's attempt at a career movement and designed by and for white women's advancement. Black women began to consider the white feminist attempts to involve them as maneuvers to ratify themselves as representatives of all of society's women.
As feminism spread, increased uneasiness developed among black women as to the true purpose of feminism. Despite the fact that the average black woman supported generic, if you will, issues; equal pay, affordable childcare, men doing domestic work, rape/crisis intervention, and the fight against domestic violence, the expanding radical feminist's social and political agenda fueled the fire for black women's initial suspicions. Many accused feminists of using the 'generic' issues as a way of promoting their own agendas. The promotion of abortion, lesbianism, and homosexuality, set feminism at odds with the black cultural security as well as other ethnic groups. Black women, particularly black nationalists, remained adamant in stating that no matter what their color, individuals would not define who black women are, nor would they set the culture's agenda; that no white women, nor any black woman under the mentality of white culture would qualify as leaders of the black woman. Most importantly was the issue that they would not allow feminists to separate them from black men.
The relationships between black women and feminists
The black woman's right to cultural independence
