Abstract

The “strong Black woman” image has historically served as a justification for Black women’s oppression. While the image persists as a measure of control, it also serves as a powerful agent for Black women’s survival in an oppressive world. The seemingly contradictory nature of this image has put scholars in a position to shift the framing of strength to consider its functionality. As a point of intervention, this conceptual review advances a comprehensive framework that articulates the ever-shifting functions of strength based upon 30 years of prior research. It employs war imagery, likening strength to facets of combat, to organize these ideas into a perspicuous heuristic. Advancing a new, comprehensive framework on strength will help scholars more fully understand the functionality of strength and the vital roles it plays in Black women’s lives. The implications of this framework for scholars, practitioners, Black women, and allies are discussed.

摘要

“坚强的黑人女性”形象在历史上一直是黑人女性受到压迫的理由。虽然形象作为一种控制措施而持续存在，但它也是黑人女性在压迫世界中生存的强大力量。这种形象看似矛盾的性质使学者们能够改变力量的框架以考虑其功能。作为干预点，本概念审查提出了一个综合框架，该框架阐明了基于 30 年先前研究的力量不断变化的功能。它使用战争意象，将力量比作战斗的各个方面，将这些想法组织成一个明显的启发式方法。推进关于力量的新的、全面的框架将帮助学者更全面地了解力量的功能及其在黑人女性生活中的重要作用。