Digging through archives, White Feminism author Koa Beck found records of racist and exclusionary tactics used against people of colour that had eerie echoes with today
In 1969, the Black American feminist Frances Beal published a pamphlet titled Double Jeopardy: To Be Black and Female. In it, Beal argued that the idea of two separate genders acting in distinctly gendered ways was a concept shaped by commerce, motivated by a need to sell products that enhance or distinguish gender even more. The version of womanhood seen in popular magazines such as Ladies’ Home Journal – middle class, affluent, and with disposable income – she pointed out, was not an aspirational reality for Black women, given the arduous and low-paying domestic work that they are often tasked with; such is the nature of the US economy.
I found Beal’s pamphlet in the digital archives of a university library, 50 years after it was published, while researching for my book, White Feminism: From the Suffragettes to Influencers and Who They Leave Behind. That this pamphlet still existed, preserved through generations of editors, librarians, and readers is a testament to the endurance of the archive.
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