Digital Library

Helping Black Communities Unite Inc. is pleased to publish the award-winning article by Shaun Kamryn (FAMU).  

Abstract: The Black Woman’ s Identity Struggle aims to highlight the ways in which white American standards of beauty have affected the Black woman’s self-concept. Through an analysis of the plays Yellowman by Dael Orlandersmith, for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf by Ntozake Shange, and Funnyhouse of a Negro by Adrienne Kennedy, I unravel the traits of the Black female main characters and compare their struggles to those faced by Black women today. Written by African-American female playwrights, these plays address topics such as colorism, texturism, racism, and sexual abuse from the lens of women. This is important to note because their viewpoints provide first-hand perspectives on the harsh realities faced by Black women, and supplies the reader with an idea of how these topics contribute to the Black woman’s identity struggle. Furthermore, this dramatic analysis serves to emphasize the importance of representation and positive imagery of Black women for the youth. With the explosion of social media, more instantaneous encounters of racism and colorism have deepened unhealed wounds of self-hatred and feelings of insignificance present amongst our younger generation, specifically in young Black women. With positive portrayals of Black women and the teaching of knowledge-of-self, a new generation would emerge; one fueled by dignity, honor, and self-respect. And it is on us, the conscious and the wise, to educate, empower, and liberate our women–mentally, physically, spiritually, and emotionally– to dismantle the inferiority complex being pushed upon Black diasporic women because of the Eurocentric standard of beauty.