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"'Nothing without a Woman or a Girl:' Women in the Nation of Islam, 1960-1975"

Sat, Sep 26, 8:30 to 9:50am, Sheraton Atlanta Hotel, Floor: 2, Savannah 2 (Level 2 Lobby)

Abstract

This presentation discusses the role of women in the Nation of Islam during the 1960s and 1970s under the leadership of Elijah Muhammad. Using interviews as well as Patricia Hill-Collins Black Feminist Thought and Cynthia West's “Nation Builders” to undergird the analysis, this paper examines how women's roles as mothers, wives, and teachers constituted a unique brand of activism within the Nation of Islam and were essential parts of the quest to improve the life conditions of African Americans involved in the movement. Moreover, this paper also probes into women's roles within the economic sphere of the Nation of Islam and how they extended their traditional roles to become managers, captains, and advisors. Although women in the movement generally occupied a clandestine space within the organization, a final analysis reveals that their roles in and outside of the domestic sphere created an atmosphere that helped sustain the Nation of Islam.

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