ABSTRACT
In one of author's first Women's Studies classes, taught by Tillie Olsen, that she noticed the complete absence of material by or any discussion about black women. Ain't I A Woman: Black Women and Feminism did not emerge from any desire on author part to explain black women to white feminist women or to capitalize on an interest in racial issues. The author felt then that her heart was in the writing of Aint I a Woman, that it was a book of the heart, expressing the deep and passionate longing for change in the social status of black women, for an end to sexist domination and for an end to sexist domination and exploitation. To speak about feminism, those of people who are coming from different ethnic and racial backgrounds must first work to overcome the racism, sexism, and class exploitation that has socialized people to believe that the words are not important.
