This paper will identify with Collins on issues of race and how it affects black motherhood. It will continue to develop the concepts and features of Black Feminist Thought. Collins tries to identify with material experience, and the relationship amongst women. She says that these two elements need to be understood together. Through experience, Collin says that black women have been allowed to explore the contradictions of ideology. In order to understand the concepts of Black motherhood we must examine how this idea differs from both men and women of color, to that of the dominant class. The paper also examines critiques from other theorists such as Bell Hooks, and other black feminist. The conclusion of the paper will again give an overview of the core themes of black motherhood expressed in Collins book. We will also try to see where Collins idea's fit in our current state, and what we may do to change conflicts or issues dealing with race. The main theme in the paper will be to identify with Collins on how black mothers can attain empowerment. Through empowerment, it will allow black mothers to find self-reliance and self-definition. Yet, we must look at black motherhood not only through a female standpoint, but also through a male standpoint. We must also recognize the role of the father as a caretaker, and reject the stereotype of the mother being the only sole provider.
In the black community there's powerful controlling images where the black women is looked at as a matriarch, or what Collins calls a super-strong Black mother. .
For most black males, they think that this is a good image, but in reality, it just allows black women to be more socially oppressed. Collins quotes from another author that in many African-American communities, "the idea that mothers should live lives of sacrifice has come to be seen as the norm." This makes black women more oppressed because they must place their personal needs behind those of everyone else.
