Kiswana is proud of being black and pillories her mother as "a white man's nigger who's ashamed of being black" (ibid., p. 85). Kiswana therefore helps Cora Lee to heal from her "shadow men" who have made a mother without caring about their offspring (ibid., 113).
Lorraine and Theresa are a lesbian couple which challenges the women's notions of love and friendship. Their relationship is truly complex and outside of the comprehension of men. Baker observes that the women move to Brewster place to be themselves and that they do not fully accomplish this and are not successful even there (Williams). It is the opinion of this author that without this love for each other, they would not have survived.
The implications of this books and others like it by Naylor have been very profound in the study of black feminism. Nnaemeka makes the argument that, "The texts discuss women's solidarity as an issue of survival; solidarity among women offers a safety net and a breath of fresh air in a suffocating, constraining environment" (Nnaemeka 19). Calling the book a "safety net" is an understatement when it comes to the creation of leadership and solidarity amongst black women. Indeed, it is the support structure of the black family and indeed the black world on so many levels.
In this research proposal, the author has stressed the development of alternative relationships, something that Collins was cited above about that is "othermothers." When the relationship structure of black men (a seemingly weak reed under the best of circumstances) fails, the female constructed safety net kicks into effect.
These...
In certain cases such as Mattie and Ciel, they constitute more than family. They constitute the safety support net for the black community in extreme circumstances. This network is highly advisable to the anarchy that the men leave in their wake. Rather, the black women are a port in the storm of ethnic networking, alternative family and child bearing. In this fashion, they can bring the small town mores that shaped black culture and civilization before it became mired in the goo of big city life. Without the alternative relationships indeed the Black network is without its most important cogs to bring attention to women's rights, in particular Black women's leadership roles.
Works Cited
Khaleghi, M. "Female Leadership in Gloria Naylor's Novels: Bloodmothers,
Othermothers, and Community Othermothers." Journal of Social Science. 26.2 (2011): 131-138. Print.
Naylor, Gloria. The Women of Brewster Place. New York, NY: Turtleback Books, 1982. Print.
Nnaemeka O. 1997. "Introduction: Imag (in)ing Knowledge, Power, and Subversion in the Margins." in: Obioma Nnaemeka (Ed.): The Politics of (M)othering:
Womanhood, Identity, and Resistance in African Literature. London: Routledge,
pp. 1-26.
Puscas, C. "Gloria Naylor's Style in the Women of Brewster Place.." Proceedings of the International. Targu -Mures, RO, University of Targu-Mures. 2005. 402-407. Print
Williams, C. "The Two." Major Black Writers. Major Black Writers.com, 26 April, 1999. Web. 21 Feb 2011. .
