Sarah Palin resigned as Governor of Alaska mid-way through her term grabbing the media spotlight once again. Not all, but many white women in my professional circle and media pundits herald her as a hero for being a mother and a wife with a full-time demanding job as a politician who is able to balance all three with charisma and spunk.

Many of them admit that they do not agree with Palin’s position on gay marriage and other issues but they are fascinated with the fact that she is not a “stay-home-mom” who became a political leader with very little formal education. Many white women marvel at the fact that she is a down-to-earth soccer mom with a child with special needs who decided not to let her children or husband prevent her from conquering the world. I think that white women’s support of Sarah Palin is similar to how many African Americans supported O.J. Simpson during his murder trial.

Many African Americans did not support O.J. Simpson because they believed that he was innocent; they supported him because they had been physically and psychologically oppressed into believing that legal justice was reserved for white Americans-- so they decided to settle for poetic justice as compensation for all of the evils of slavery-- raping, lynching, and Jim Crow Laws.

There is a deep chasm that divides the feminine psyche of the collective African American woman conscious and that of the collective White American woman conscious that was shaped by the historical American experience of the feminine role in a White male dominant patriarchal society.


Many White women were socialized to attach their identity to their husband and children. She was not expected to work outside of the home, be non-assertive, and conduct herself at all times in a ladylike manner. Her primary role was to support and obey her husband’s wishes and express her dreams and goals through his achievements.

The white woman’s role in society was celebrated in the media in prime-time television shows such as “The Honeymooners, “”Leave it to Beaver,” “The Dick Van Dyke Show”, and “Father Knows Best,” all the way to “The Brady Bunch” to name a few. White American men not only objectified White women, but most importantly they felt it was their duty to provide for her, adorn her, and protect her as well.

On the other hand, African American women gave birth while working in the cotton fields and continued to work alongside the African American male. African American women were required to nurse their slave master’s children and then go home to feed their own children with barely enough milk left in her breasts to feed her own children.

When African American males were not allowed to work after slavery ended it was easier for an African American woman to get a paying job in the service industry. It was a necessity for African American women to work inside and outside of the home.

The African American woman has never been coddled, adorned or protected by any male—black or white. An African American male would be killed for protecting his wife or children during slavery because he was considered to be the property of his owner and thus had no rights.

Collectively, African American women have always worked outside of the home while raising children and speaking her mind. Psychologically speaking, African American women have always been free and strong in a spiritual way that White women have not—because she was forced to fend for herself, children and sometimes her man.

Some people have argued that the reason the media is against Sarah Palin is because she is a physically attractive woman who is a mother. I totally disagree. I think that the reason that she was immediately accepted, praised, and adored was because of these factors. Palin’s initial appeal to the public began to unravel during interviews which revealed that she was not as knowledgeable about the constitution, foreign policy and other pertinent political issues.

As an African American woman, I am not impressed by the fact that Sarah Palin is a working mother and wife because in my culture this is the only kind I know. The qualities that make a good mother, hunter, and wife don’t automatically transfer to being able to make intelligent decisions about foreign policy.

I am ashamed to admit that I supported O.J. Simpson even though I felt that he was guilty. African Americans and White women are oppressed groups with historical psychological baggage that sometimes prevents us from seeing what is fair and just for the collective good of all because we are seeking validation for the part of our psyche that has been repressed and wounded.