Stacey Wong
Roger House
H-211-0
2 May 2018
Anna Cooper’s A Voice from the South
A Voice from the South is a collection of Anna Cooper’s most insightful writings including essays, papers, and even speeches that were once publically delivered. Published in 1892 by of the most prominent African American female activists and scholars of her period, cooper offers a glimpse into the thought of black female scholars in the nineteenth-century. Anna Julia Cooper was born into slavery in 1868 in Raleigh, North Carolina during the Antebellum Era. She was the daughter of a slave named Hannah Stanley and her master George Washington Haywood. By the age of nine, Cooper begins her education at Saint Augustine’s Normal School and Collegiate Institute, a coeducational school for former slaves. Eventually, Cooper becomes an essential figure for the black community, teaching across America on topics such as education, civil rights, and the status of black women (blackpast.org). In A Voice from the South, Anna Cooper advocates for the higher education of women through the examination of race, class, and gender as systems of oppression.
A Voice from the South is organized into two parts: “The Colored Woman’s Office” and “Race and Culture.” In the first essay of her book, “Womanhood: A Vital Element in the Regeneration and Progress of a Race (1886).” Cooper discusses the intersection of issues on race, class, and gender to argue that the education and empowerment of black women are crucial to contribution to racial uplift. She begins her essay by addressing how women have been subject to “a life of ignorance, infamy, and complete stagnation” (Cooper 53). In this statement, Cooper points out the issues with black male patriarchy and how that has a negative effect on women, especially black women. She then proposes that as long as women are given the “same code of morality” as men, women will be seen as more than just what society perceives them to be. She further reflects on her frustrations of higher education discouraging women from pursuing higher-level courses, also referred to as the “Ladies’ Course.” While women were only allowed to take the basic, yet inferior, two-year courses, men were able to take the more rigorous courses, including Greek and Theology. In response, she states, “I would beg, however, with the Doctor’s permission, to add my plea for the Colored Girls of the South: — that large, bright, promising fatally beautiful class that stands shivering like a delicate plantlet before the fury of tempestuous elements so full of promise and possibilities, yet so sure of destruction” (Cooper 60). Cooper protests against this and finally becomes the first woman at Ohio’s Oberlin College to study Greek. She continues to fight for equal opportunity in education for women during her time at Oberlin, where she also eventually earns her master’s degree from as well. Cooper draws from her personal experiences to support her argument that although the gender based prejudice initially restricted her from educational opportunities, she was able to use her weakness in her favor to obtain justice. Cooper’s drive and courage is inspiring and perhaps inspired other women at the time, considering probably not many women openly spoke about issues like this.
In another one of Cooper’s essays ,“The Higher Education of Women (1890-1891),” she emphasizes the importance of female intellect and argues for more of an awareness on the higher education of females. She clarifies, “the feminine factor can have its proper effect only through women’s development and education so that she may fitly and intelligently stamp her forces of her day” (Cooper 78). She believes in using education as a tool to develop and advance the individual towards the evolution of society. Cooper compares the difference between feminine and masculine influence. As Cooper writes, “there is a feminine as well as a masculine side to truth that these are related not as inferior and superior, not as better and worse, not as weaker and stronger, but as complements — complements in one necessary and symmetric whole” (Cooper 78). She suggests that although men and women are not equal, they each have qualities that complement each other. Furthermore, she also demands that women recognize to “resolve to make the most of it – not the boys less, but the girls more” (Cooper 87). She suggests that both men and women are necessary parts to a whole. Cooper effectively criticizes the resistance women experience by black men regarding education. With rage and passion, she insists that women deserve the same consideration as men and expects to be seen as more than just girls who “merely look pretty and appear well in society” (Cooper 86). It is clear that Cooper believes the upliftment of black women would in turn uplift all black people.
In this the last essay of part one, “The Status of Women in America,” Cooper illustrates the difficulties black women continue to face as a result of being female and black. She states that black women are “confronted by both a woman question and a race problem” (Cooper 112) This is also known as intersectionality, a term coined by Kimberlé Crenshaw. Intersectionality refers to how race, class, gender, and nation interact in a way that is unfair towards a certain group (Grillo). In response to the double oppression women face, Cooper argues for black men to reject sexism and to instead, accept the empowering qualities that women present through their contributions. Despite these struggles, Cooper still believes that black women can use racial and gender inequality to show that they are in fact influential in standing against the oppressive nature of the dominant culture. In contrast to what Cooper stands for in her book, historian and scholar W.E.B. Du Bois takes a different approach to how black women contribute to the progress of racial upliftment. In his 1903 book, The Negro Problem, Du Bois suggests that the upliftment of black people is the result of its “exceptional men,” otherwise known as “The Talented Tenth” (Du Bois 3). On the other hand, Cooper advocates for a liberal arts education amongst all black people, including male, female, poor and working class. Cooper and Du Bois share similar ideals in that they both believe that higher education is the key to black upliftment. However, Du Bois’ idea promotes the notion that progress means placing black men in power as opposed to the more inclusive idea Cooper presents. Cooper’s argument is more intersectional than that of Du Bois because she encourages education for everyone, whereas Du Bois focuses on the higher education of select individuals he deems outstanding.
The second part of A Voice from the South beings with the essay, “Has America a Race Problem? If So, How Can it Be Best Solved? (1892).” In this essay, Cooper goes into detail about the issues of race and gender. She starts off the piece by identifying two kinds of peace: the kind produced by suppression and through behavioural adjustment. She argues that opposition and adjustment are important because they encourage progress instead of simply ignoring the problem. Cooper also criticizes America for its hypocrisy against its founding virtues of “compromise and concession, liberality and toleration” (Cooper 128). The lack of progress encourages prejudice, thus contradicting the fundamental principles of America’s founding. Cooper demands that compromise and tolerance are the only necessary tools of the nation to use in order to achieve black development. In addition to that, Cooper states she does not see race as a problem, but rather a key component to strengthening the nation. She makes connections between the “race problem” and the “woman problem” and concludes that racial and gender differences help to foster new relationships and social change.
A Voice from the South is a compelling piece that offers a personal account of prejudices black women are susceptible to, as well as solutions to these issues. Cooper writes with rich, exceptional perception on the circumstances African Americans faced in the nineteenth-century. Throughout her book, Cooper emphasizes that race, class, and gender all work together as factors that contribute to racial inequality. She encourages the audience to embrace change and argues that gender prejudice prevents the advancement of racial groups. Cooper’s writing clearly demonstrate her fight for freedom and equality for all, not just black women. She brings attention to the double oppression endured by black people. Cooper defies many of the patriarchal norms by urging women to participate in dominantly male spheres. A Voice from the South is a testament to Anna Cooper’s notable contributions to uplifting the entire race.
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Grillo, Trina. “Anti-Essentialism and Intersectionality: Tools to Dismantle the Master’s House.” Berkeley Women’s Law Journal 10 (1995): 16-30.