Black Women in Law: Barriers and Careers, 1900–1970
This paper examines the distinct obstacles confronting African-American women who sought careers in law during the early twentieth century, roughly 1900 to 1970. Drawing on historical and qualitative sources, the paper explores how double discrimination — based on both race and gender — limited Black women's access to the legal profession, academic tenure, and professional networks. It discusses the near-erasure of Black women from historical and academic records, highlights the civil rights contributions of figures such as Myrlie Evers-Williams, and summarizes findings from a qualitative study on the career development of high-achieving African-American women. The paper concludes by identifying persistence, passion, and community networks as critical factors in overcoming systemic barriers.
- Introduction: Overview of Black women's barriers entering law
- Challenges Facing Black Women in the Legal Profession: Discrimination, stereotypes, and intellectual exclusion
- Exclusion from Academic and Professional Networks: Tenure barriers and restricted communication networks
- Notable Figures and Civil Rights Contributions: Myrlie Evers-Williams and NAACP leadership
- Career Development and Qualitative Research Findings: Qualitative study on high-achieving African-American women
- Conclusion: Double discrimination and paths to professional success
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What makes this paper effective
- The paper clearly frames a double-discrimination thesis — race and gender compounding each other — and consistently applies it across multiple professional contexts, from courtrooms to academia.
- It supports its historical argument with named sources, including bell hooks, Elizabeth Minnich, and a published qualitative study, lending credibility to what could otherwise remain anecdotal.
- The use of a concrete case study (Myrlie Evers-Williams) grounds abstract systemic claims in a specific individual's documented experience, making the argument more persuasive and relatable.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper demonstrates effective use of a qualitative research summary to support a historical argument. Rather than relying solely on narrative description, the author cites a study involving 18 high-achieving African-American women to identify recurring traits (persistence, intrinsic motivation, passion) and systemic barriers (racism, sexism, lack of opportunity). This moves the analysis from observation to evidence-based conclusion.
Structure breakdown
The paper opens with a contextual introduction establishing the period and the dual nature of discrimination facing Black women. An analytical middle section covers exclusion from law, academia, and professional networks, supported by scholarly citations. A biographical section highlights Myrlie Evers-Williams as a representative historical figure. The conclusion synthesizes qualitative research findings with the paper's central argument, ending with a forward-looking note on solidarity and network-building as tools of resistance.
Introduction
Black women attempting to enter careers in law during the period from 1900 through 1970 faced a variety of unique challenges. During this era, many women of all races began to question their role and place in society. It was also during this time that civil rights campaigns were beginning to flourish, and African-American women faced the prospect of not only being a minority as women, but also being a minority because of their skin color and ethnic heritage.
African-American women attempting to pursue careers during this time rarely had the opportunity to hold leadership positions — a limitation common to women of any race. Another challenge facing Black women was the lack of adequate representation, influence, and emphasis in the workforce. The lack of attention to Black women's careers is even evident in textual references and historical records; the majority of work discussing the civil rights era and the early twentieth century focuses primarily on the experience of white middle-class women, not African-American women. There is some discussion related to the push for African-Americans as a whole to receive equal representation, and from this we can extract some conclusions related to the plight of Black women attempting to establish careers in these difficult-to-penetrate fields.
The field of law proved especially difficult for Black women to enter and build a successful career in. Until this period — and even today — a majority of individuals working in this field are white, middle-class men. Part of establishing an effective and long-term career involves building networks and associating with like-minded peers who share similar backgrounds and interests. This was perhaps the biggest obstacle Black women in the legal field had to overcome.
References
Benjamin, Lois H. Black Women in the Academy: Promises and Perils. University Press of Florida, 1997.
Coquery-Vidrovitch, C., and B. Raps. African Woman: A Modern History. Boulder: Westview Press, 1997.
Fassinger, Ruth E., J. Johnson, Sonja Linn, J. Prosser, B. Richie, and S. Robinson. "Persistence, Connection, and Passion: A Qualitative Study of the Career Development of Highly Achieving African-American Black and White Women." Journal of Counseling Psychology, Vol. 44, 1997.
Hooks, Bell. Yearning. Boston: South End Press, 1990.
Minnich, Elizabeth K. Transforming Knowledge. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1990.
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