The Opposing views of Tara Hunter and Darlene Clark Hine

             Women have been trapped in a patriarchal society for ages. But what about being an African American women in a patriarchal society. As said by Debra Grey White in her article Ar"n't I A Women, "If she is rescued from the myth of the Negro, the myth of a women traps her"( White 27). In the articles presented by Darlene Clark Hine, Rape and the Inner lives of Southern Black Women and the article written by Tera Hunter, To Joy My Freedom we get a glimpse into the lives of African American women in the post bellum south. However, the article written by Darlene Clark Hine is not consistent with the information contained in Tera Hunter's, because they present opposing views on African American women's ability to express themselves through dance, fashion and speech.
             Darlene Clark Hine and Tara Hunter present opposing views on African American women's ability to express themselves through dance. Dance for the African American women living in the anti bellum and post bellum south was an activity where they were able to let loose and express themselves, "The popularity and controversy of black dance have a long history. Slaves incorporated dance into their everyday lives to diminish the harsh realities of forced labour." (Hunter 169). The image portrayed by Hunter in this aspect is one of African American women being very sexual in their dancing, "Black dance generally exploded outward from the hips; it was performed from a crouching position with the knees flexed and the body bent at the waist, which allowed a fluidity of movement in a propulsive rhythmic fashion." (Hunter 175). Hunter points out that the images portrayed by the dancing were ones that were interpreted by whites, "It was believed that dancing encouraged sexual promiscuity among black women, who would then taint the white households through their illicit activity. The sexual connotations of black dance exasperated these anxieties about women's behaviour around the black and white middle classes.