ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the basic features/descriptors of the Africana womanist, dating back to Africa and antiquity, as the actual practice itself represents a continuum of the rich legacy of Africana women in antiquity, continuing their roles as culture bearers at home, Africa, the cradle of civilization. Always a self-namer, even during American slavery when the White slave owners labeled the Black woman as a breeder, the Africana womanist insisted upon identifying herself as mother and companion. In defining herself and her reality, the Africana womanist is, indeed, a self-definer, even if her definitions do not reach the broader global public arena. A major cornerstone of Africana womanism is the centrality of the family. The intertwined destiny of all Africana people speaks volumes to the dependence upon the participation of the male sector in the Africana womanist’s struggle. The true Africana womanist seeks both wholeness and authenticity in her life.
