“Our development must also be tied to the contemporary economic and political position of Black people. The post World War II generation of Black youth was the first to be able to minimally partake of certain educational and employment options, previously closed completely to Black people. Although our economic position is still at the very bottom of the American capitalistic economy, a handful of us have been able to gain certain tools as a result of tokenism in education and employment which potentially enable us to more effectively fight our oppression.” (Collective, 1983, pp.266)

The passage explains how the struggle for feminism can be tied to black people’s rights issues. The author suggests that for these feminists to achieve political freedom, they must first overcome the black issue. The two aspects indicate how hard it is for black women, in particular, to overcome their issues with gender before overcoming their issue of race. The black feminism movement represents that most people ignore different aspects of women’s rights since the group is disadvantaged. According to the passage, before the world war, there were a lot of jobs that were not available to black people, and over the decades, black people have strived to ensure they get the same treatment as their white counterparts. Today, black people do not receive the same privileges even as society attempts to fight for equality. Although it was written in the 1970s, the article showcases what is happening today that black people are at a disadvantage in the political and economic position.

The second aspect of the passage shows that even if black people and black women, in particular, have an economic and political disadvantage, there has been a rise in the number of youths in education and employment. Although the group is at the bottom of the capitalistic economy, they have received the tokens that have enabled them to rise in the education and employment sectors. Therefore, the modern black woman is better represented due to the fight for better political and economic positions. The author also hints that increased representation could improve rights for both black people in general and especially black women. Representation of black women by more educated and people with high-level jobs could achieve the goals of black feminism. A black president and a black female vice-president highlight those opportunities for black women’s representation are available.