Beyond the Gibson Girl: Chapter 2- Kate Ferraro

The reading of "The New Negro Woman" in Chapter 2 was very interesting to read because after extensively studying the concept of the "new woman"throughout the semester, there were several similarities and differences between the "new woman" and "new negro woman"described. It is important to notice that the new negro woman had "the unique role of symbolic leader in uplift missions" (51). The chapter focused especially on Murry Washington and Pauline Hopkins. The chapter also described how the concept of "new negro crime"that was constantly fueled by whites when race was discussed. While reading, I had two passages that stuck out to me: 1. When Washington stated that the new negro woman is a woman whose primary concern is racial uplift within the home and the struggle for money, power, etc, may only begin after they have homes for themselves (58), and 2. When Williams said "the real new woman" has succeeded "as if by magic" in "lifting" herself from the legacy of painful struggle endured by previous generations" (61).