ABSTRACT
This chapter details the political debates surrounding burning controversial issues on not only the true inception of the Civil Rights Movement, but more important, on the fact that it was a powerful movement made possible by the participation of all in a concerted effort to remove many of the legal shackles of racism, indeed, an Africana Womanist priority. The authentic global paradigm for Africana-Melanated women stared out in the mid-1980s as a national concept, much like King with the Civil Rights Movement, which started out with a national focus, evolved to an international focus on human rights. The Africana womanist is Self-Namer, Self-Definer, Family-Centered, Genuine in Sisterhood, Strong, In Concert with Male in the Liberation Struggle, Whole, Authentic, Flexible Role Player, Respected, Recognized, Spiritual, Male Compatible, Respectful of Elders, Adaptable, Ambitious, Nurturing and Mothering. The first African America woman intellectual to formulate a position on Africana Womanism was Clenora Hudson-Weems, author of the 1993 groundbreaking study, Africana Womanism: Reclaiming Ourselves.
