Discussion About Racism and Sexism: The “Double-Handicap” (1973)

An in-depth exploration of the world of women today with Samantha Dean. [Samantha]Good evening Tonight we're going to talk about the Black woman in today's society. Our guests are Dorothy Pitman Hughes, who is one of the founders of the community controlled daycare centers movement. She's now involved in developing an alternative to welfare and forced work programs. Also with us is Julia "Van Metre." She's a nurse, a vocalist and a student of psychology. Dorothy, do you find that to be Black and to be a woman is sometimes laboring under a double-handicap, that of racism and sexism? [Dorothy] Yes, That's absolutely true. I was almost afraid that you were going to ask me the question that was answered by Shirley Chisholm, saying that she finds it more of a problem to be a Black woman in government than a woman, or whichever way she felt it. Certainly Black women are on the bottom of both racism and sexism, and that is a

problem. But it's a problem for the liberation of all people. And if we don't end the problem for liberation for any people, we won't end it for Black women, but we can't do it without, end it for all people. [Samantha] Julia which have you found to be the most, the worst of these two problems: racism or sexism? [Julia] Well, I have to say racism first because that's what I was first introduced to, racism, you know? I grew up in Georgia, and you know how it is there, and everywhere is everywhere is like that. But I think racism is the worst. [Samantha] Do you find, as lawyer Florence Kennedy says that you're basically fighting the same enemy that it is namely, and I quote, "the white supremacist male" in both cases. [Dorothy] I don't know how do you know that I don't. I think that white women have a long way to go. I understand that we have a problem that's much of the

same because we both deal with sexism but most times Black women have to deal with white women's racism and classism and we have to I mean I think that we have to talk about racism classism and sexism because one of the things I think that white women have understood is racism at least is understood. We don't all know what to do about it. But classism it's low almost like the whole movement is saying hey let me hold on to a little of something that I have, you know I'm getting rid of of the sexism part and I'm dealing with the racism but you know OK I need my classes right so doing the analysis. I think that we have a lot to deal with. For once though the doors are open for us to deal with it. We are able to talk to each other but I don't believe that sisterhood can happen until it's understood that classism has to go out with all of with sexism. [Samantha] Well regarding these