Jessie faced a lot of racism and sexism in her life. How did she combat both throughout the novel? Do you think her attitude to racism and sexism changed over the course of the book?
Jesse was definitely aware of the racism and sexism she faced. To combat that she always put her best foot forward in terms of how she expressed herself, always reminding people of her educational background. Occasionally she would ask Dubois if he would make certain statements to her if she was a man. Sometimes she reminded her mother of that as well. Jessie was well-read and researched topics she wasn’t familiar with to help in her work. She never backed away from an opportunity because of her gender and race.
Jessie was able to address the sexism and racism in her life because she was so smart and sure of herself! I am sure it took the wind out of her sails several times, but she was always able to get back up and stay in the fight because she knew in her heart that she was just as intelligent, and in some cases , more intelligent than the people discriminating against her. I think the end of the book shows just how strong she was because she was going to break away from The Crises and WEB and try to do something even bigger with her life.
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I agree with Joyce and Becky. Jessie strived to always do more than was expected, and she mentored young writers to help encourage them to remain in the profession. I’m not sure if her attitudes changed much over the course of the book. I have a feeling that at the end her optimism of being accepted as a woman in the publishing world and as a black person may have been tempered. She was unable to find employment at another publishing house, and she realized that her personal and professional relationships with Du Bois were not going to progress.
I don’t think Jessie’s attitude about racism and sexism changed. However, I think she got stronger and more sure of herself as the book went on. Among the ways she combatted especially the racism was in the mentoring and publishing of other Black authors’ works, and attending and speaking at public events. For herself, she combatted sexism by figuratively and literally pushing herself forward, speaking out on injustices, and ultimately leaving The Crisis.
No I think Jessie always feared both sexism and racism. That seems to be ingrained in many Black people. Once you face that it lives inside you - it is not something that can just be sloughed off. But in spite of those feelings I think Jessie tried to stand her ground and live up to what she thought she could do, to both get ahead herself and bring the Black man to greater heights.