Women
      of
      colour
     
    
   
   
    
     
      continued
      from
      last
      page...
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      critic
      and
      physician
      Morton
      Schulman
      com-
     
     
      mented
      on
      the
      testing
      of
      the
      Pill
      in
      India
      on
      the
     
     
      nightly
      CBC
      news
      saying
      “‘
      there’s
      enough
      of
     
     
      them
      over
      there.
      We
      won’t
      miss
      a
      few
      so
      why
     
     
      should
      we
      test
      it
      on
      our
      wives
      and
      sisters.’”
     
     
      Depo-provera
      is
      the
      newest
      in
      the
      line
      of
     
     
      dangerous
      contraceptives.
      It
      is
      the
      most
      fre-
     
     
      quently
      prescribed
      birth
      control
      method
      among
     
     
      black
      women
      in
      Nambia
      and
      South
      Africa,
      who
     
     
      are
      not
      given
      a
      choice
      in
      the
      decision.
      Use
      of
     
     
      this
      injectable
      contraceptive
      sometimes
      results
     
     
      in
      sterilisation,
      a
      result
      much
      desired
      by
      the
     
     
      white
      supremacist
      government
      in
      South
      Africa.
     
     
      Although
      there
      has
      been
      a
      recent
      trend
      to-
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ward
      acceptance
      of
      black
      and
      Third
      World
     
     
      women’s
      literature,
      one
      gets
      the
      feeling
      that
      it
     
     
      is
      only
      because
      we
      are
      ‘different’
      that
      the
      writ-
     
     
      ing
      is
      read.
      It
      is
      unnerving
      that
      people
      would
     
     
      accept
      absolutely
      anything
      written
      by
      a
      woman
     
     
      of
      colour
      simply
      to
      show
      acceptance.
     
    

    
     
      Indian
      lesbian
      writer
      Suniti
      Namjoshi
      who
     
     
      now
      lives
      in
      toronto
      says:
      ‘‘I’m
      wary
      of
      the
     
     
      statement
      that
      cropped
      up
      recently,
      ‘Black
      wom-
     
     
      en’s
      literature
      has
      become
      the
      flavour
      of
      the
     
     
      month,
      and
      has
      been
      taken
      up
      by
      white
      femi-
     
     
      nists’
      because
      it
      doesn’t
      take
      into
      account
      all
      the
     
     
      prejudice
      that
      has
      worked
      against
      the
      Black
     
     
      woman
      being
      published
      in
      the
      first
      place.
      So
      as
     
     
      a
      black
      woman
      you
      are
      made
      to
      feel
      that
      you
      are
     
     
      only
      being
      read
      because
      you
      are
      black,
      that
      you
     
     
      haven’t
      written
      anything
      good.
      To
      make
      some-
     
     
      one
      into
      a
      token
      like
      that
      is
      insidious,
      deadly.’’
     
     
      For
      women
      in
      the
      Third
      World,
      problems
      also
     
    
   
   
    
     
      A
      Taste
      of
      Power
     
    
   
   
    
     
      New
      book
      explores
      black
      activists
      life
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Taste
      of
     
     
      A
      Power
      is
      the
     
    

    
     
      autobiogra-
     
     
      phy
      of
      a
      very
      ex-
     
     
      traordinary
      black
     
     
      woman
      named
      Elaine
     
     
      ‘Brown.
      Elaine
     
     
      Brown
      began
      life
      ina
     
     
      poor
      black-neigh-
     
     
      bourhood,
      but
      spent
     
     
      her
      childhood
      devel-
     
     
      oping
      a
      repertoire
      of
     
     
      “*
      white’’
      things.
     
     
      Elaine’s
      desire
      to
      be
     
     
      the
      same
      as
      her
     
     
      friends
      in
      the
      private
     
     
      school
      she
      attended
     
     
      overpowered
      her
      \
     
     
      “*blackness’’;
      that
      is,
     
    
   
   
    
     
      until
      she
      hit
      college.
      ir
     
    
   
   
    
     
        
     
    
   
   
    
     
      -
      She
      lived
      through
     
     
      terror
      and
      pain
      that
     
     
      would
      have
      killed
     
     
      lesser
      people,
      but
     
     
      not
      Elaine
      Brown.
     
     
      Instead,
      she
      became
     
     
      the
      leader
      of
      the
     
     
      Black
      Panther
      Party.
     
     
      She
      took
      control
      of
     
     
      the
      money,
      the
     
     
      “weapons
      and
      the
     
     
      people
      and
      led
      them
     
     
      well.
     
    

    
     
      a
      This
      book
      is
      well
     
     
      rd
      j
      written,and
      enjoy-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      able
      in
      its
      own
     
    

    
     
      a
     
     
      q
      tails
      the
      struggles
      of
     
     
      growing
      up
      in
      a
     
     
      black
      neighbour-
     
    
   
   
    
     
        
     
     
        
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      After
      a
      succession
      of
      white
     
     
      lovers
      gone
      awry,
      she
      en-
     
     
      countered
      a
      group
      of
      black
     
     
      men
      and
      women
      who
      were
     
     
      proud
      of
      their
      black
      herit-
     
     
      age.
      This
      pride
      was
      eventu-
     
     
      ally
      passed
      on
      to
      Elaine
      and
     
     
      she
      felt
      compelled
      to
      join
     
     
      the
      Black
      Panther
      Party,
      a
     
     
      militant
      black
      action
      group.
     
    

    
     
      In
      her
      time
      with
      the
      party
     
     
      Elaine
      witnessed
      and
      expe-
     
     
      rienced
      many
      things
      that
     
     
      made
      her
      a
      strong
      woman.
     
     
      She
      saw
      death,
      lived
      pov-
     
     
      erty
      and
      experienced
      war
      .
     
    
   
   
    
     
      "This
      book
      is
     
     
      well
     
     
      written
      and
     
     
      enjoyable
      in
     
     
      its
      own
     
     
      strange
      way."
     
    
   
   
    
     
      strange
      way.
      It
      de-
     
     
      hood,
      but
      perhaps
      romanti-
     
     
      cizes
      a
      bit
      too
      much.
      The
     
     
      book
      makes
      one
      think-
      if
      I}
     
     
      as
      a
      woman,
      were
      given
      that
     
     
      kind
      of
      power,
      how
      would
      I
     
     
      deal
      with
      it?
      WouldI
      be
      able
     
     
      to
      lead
      as
      well
      as
      other
     
     
      women
      have?
      Should
      I
      try
     
     
      fora
      place
      of
      power?
      These
     
     
      questions
      all
      lead
      to
      one
      good
     
     
      thing,
      women
      in
      leadership,
     
     
      something
      that
      we
      as
      a
      soci-
     
     
      ety
      desperately
      need.
     
     
      CA
      SCHNEIDER
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      14/X-Press/November
      4,
      1993
     
    
   
   
    
     
      arise
      from
      the
      position
      of
      men
      within
      the
      femi-
     
     
      nist
      movement.
      For
      women
      of
      colour
      it
      is
      often
     
     
      more
      important
      that
      men
      be
      included
      within
     
     
      some
      of
      the
      deliberations
      that
      are
      ongoing.
      The
     
     
      men
      are,
      after
      all,
      also
      an
      oppressed
      group.
     
    

    
     
      However,
      this
      inclusion
      of
      men
      often
      stops
     
     
      at
      the
      point
      of
      oppression
      on
      the
      grounds
      of
     
     
      race.
      Most
      “‘women
      of
      colour’’
      agree
      that
      it
      is
     
     
      they
      who
      should
      decide
      the
      direction
      and
      out-
     
     
      come
      of
      their
      actions.
     
    

    
     
      The
      inclusion
      of
      men
      is
      of
      importance
      in
      the
     
     
      Third
      World,
      especially
      in
      those
      countries
      just
     
     
      celebrating
      independence.
      For
      women
      in
      Mo-
     
     
      zambique
      and
      Zimbabwe,
      admittedly
      inequal-
     
     
      ity
      still
      exists.
      Yet
      prior
      to
      independence
      all
     
     
      citizens
      were
      forced
      to
      defend
      against
      the
     
     
      commoncolonialenemy.
      Women
      fought
      along-
     
     
      side
      men;
      although
      many
      were
      not
      command-
     
     
      ers
      they
      were
      acknowledged
      as
      a
      vital
      force.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      AC
     
     
      PROBLE/\
     
     
      WITT
     
     
      WOMEN
     
     
      IN
      Trt
     
     
      INDIA
      bb.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      there
      arent
     
     
      enough
      of
      us.
     
     
      Write
      for
      the
     
     
      X-Press.