Film Number

7462

Title

THE STRUGGLE OF BLACK WORKERS, KUM KUM BHAVNANI

Producer

WFA

Date

1982

Gauge

U-matic LB

Colour

colour

Sound

sound

Running Time

61 mins 49 secs

Description

Presentation at a Manchester meeting by Kum Kum Bhavnani on the struggles of black women, chaired by Kath Locke. Black being inclusive of women from both the African and the Indian sub continent. Defined as being a problem - either too lax or too strict. Three parts to the talk - a history of racism, commonality of experience across all women, and particularity of black women; racism before industrial capitalism; presence in Britain due to colonialism but sense of history from before settlement here. Looks at struggle of women from 4 perspectives, as workers, as dependants where defined in relation to men not as independent people, as having domestic responsibilities and childcare and as being perceived as objects and all this gives rise to in terms of domestic violence, prostitution, abortion, contraception. After 37 minutes, discussion opens to floor with contributions from from Elouise Edwards, Kath Locke and others about struggle in the home and Equal Pay Act.

[Catalogued as part of 'Revitalising the Regions' a Screen Heritage UK project, 2011]