Author(s): Aishwarya Ramasubramanian

Abstract: This paper explores the enduring impacts of systemic discrimination, drawing parallels between Virginia Woolf’s portrayal of sexism and the pervasive racism affecting African American communities in the United States. Despite the emancipation of slaves and the awarding of citizenship to African Americans post-Civil War, institutionalized racism through Jim Crow laws has perpetuated significant socioeconomic barriers. This discrimination parallels Woolf’s analysis of sexism in "A Room of One’s Own," where she asserts that financial and educational exclusion hinders women’s intellectual and creative potential. Woolf’s critique of the systemic impoverishment of women is mirrored in the racial wealth gap experienced by African Americans, which severely limits their access to higher education and economic advancement. Historical and contemporary examples illustrate how entrenched biases in policy and society maintain these disparities. The paper argues for addressing the root causes of these inequities by ensuring equitable access to resources and opportunities, akin to Woolf’s metaphorical "room of one’s own," to enable true socioeconomic progress for African Americans.

Keywords: English, history, race, slavery, feminism

Article Info: Received: 08 Jun 2024; Received in revised form:09 Jul 2024; Accepted: 18 Jul 2024; Available online: 28 Jul, 2024

DOI: 10.22161/ijels.94.18