Black feminism is a school of feminism that was founded on the belief that factors such as racism, sexism, and class discrimination are all interwoven factors that lead to oppression, as these factors cannot be separated, but must be tackled together as a unit. Black feminists strive to liberate black women from oppression as they believe this will lead to freedom for all, as factors such as racism, sexism and class oppression will then be eliminated, freeing all people from the boundaries and constraints that oppression creates. This theory of feminism emerged as black women felt that they were subject to a harsher form of oppression than white women. This type of feminist movement was a response to the Feminist Movement, and the Black Liberation movement that was occurring at the time. They believed that the Feminist Movement solely helped white, middle-class women, and that it failed to focus on all women, as there were women — like the black women— who were being oppressed not only by gender, but also by race, and class. They too felt that the Black Liberation Movement focused only on the struggles of black men, and that they were sexually oppressed by this movement. They believed that both of these movements failed to recognized black women, as they were an invisible group. It is believed by the black feminists that they too, like the white feminists, struggle with issues concerning gender, but what differentiates them is that they are faced with being unequal on the basis of diversity, making their primary purpose to stop racism, sexism, and class oppression.
"Ain't I a Woman?" is a speech that was given by Sojourner Truth, in 1851, at a women's convention, in Akron, Ohio. She was a black slave who was born in 1795, and spent her life dedicated to speaking and raising awareness on the topics of abolition and women's right. In her speech, she argues that