Sisters in the Shadows: Black Women During the Black Arts Movement

This unit, Sisters in the Shadows: Black Women in the Black Arts Movement, is intended for eleventh and twelfth grade learners, but it can be used with ninth and tenth grade as well. In this unit learners will learn about the history of the Black Arts Movement as well as conduct further research on the artists and activists during that time. Furthermore, this unit will focus on the black women who helped shape the Movement but were largely ignored. We will discuss and read about the relationship between black men and black women as each group fought for liberation against oppression and marginalization from mainstream America. By studying black women and their efforts to overcome male chauvinism, learners will raise their level of gender awareness as well as develop a stronger sense of self-awareness.