'I am a Man' and the effect on Women

In Battling the Plantation Mentality by Laurie Green, in the penultimate chapter there is a passage that particularly stands out to me in an inspiring way. The passage concerns the importance of the ‘I am a Man’ slogan and its impact not only on male workers in Memphis, but also black working-class women at work and also in the home.

In the passage, Green tells of how the slogan was used by African American women not only as a sign and claim of freedom, but also as a sign of protest towards the paternalism of their supervisors who often proclaimed that they did not work hard enough. This is so powerful because it is a statement from the working-class women that emphasises that just because they are women, doesn’t mean that you can treat them like they are children, or that they need to be encouraged to work harder. We’ve spoken in class at length on the treatment women faced in the workplace, and I believe their use of the slogan shows the multiple dimensions of the movement to include more than just race issues.

More important than this, however, is dimension of freedom that Green mentions which was bought to the household. For women to also be using this slogan, it highlights not just the racial equality that they were looking for, but also for gender equality. It deeply challenged the stigma of the time that called for the men of the house to be the bread-winner, and for the women to be the caregivers and look after the home. This slogan challenges this stigma, and encourages women to take on the ‘supposed’ male role and earn the money. As with the previous statement, it challenges the paternalism of society but not just in white communities, but in African American communities also.

This one tiny passage in Green’s book pushes the Civil Rights movement beyond just race, but makes it into something bigger, a key aspect which is important to remember. The message of the Civil Rights Movement was about achieving equality and justice, and the use of the slogan by African American women pushes this ideal into something far greater than perhaps it was originally intended. “I am a Man” encouraging women to break out of the confines of womanhood is truly inspiring and, in my eyes, adds new depths to this already standout movement.

Laurie Green, Battling the Plantation Mentality