Author: Savannah Milton
Campus: CCNY
Major(s): Anthropology
Minor(s): Women and Gender Studies
Professors: Lisa Brundage, Logan McBride
Macaulay Springboard 2026
Abstract
My argument is that the Nation of Islam treats Black women as disposable even though they are used to legitimize Black nationalism. In my paper I perform a close reading of my sources to provide an intersectional feminist lens to analyzing research done about the Nation and how imagery of women are used to fulfill aspirations of nationhood. I also address and encourage my readers on how we can imagine freedom from the oppressive that don’t rely solely on nationalism and its subsequent hierarchies.
Project Components
Reflections
I feel most proud that it is completed. This is a project that I feel will evolve with me for some time and I’m excited to continue working on it. I selected my topic because I knew a lot about the Nation of Islam. However, looking at the Nation from the perspective of women has been transformative. My only knowledge came from men, although I have long suspected that the women’s perspective differed. I encountered having to work backwards a lot. My mind can be all over the place and think non-linearly so most of my work in this project was going back through and adding citations to things.
Acknowledgements and Notes
I want to thank Lisa Brundige and Logan McBride for all their support and guidance through this process. I would also like to thank my classmates in SpringBoard for their feedback and creating a great environment to undergo this journey. I also want to thank Professor Asale Angel-Ajani and Professor Arielle Cribb for your suggestions and advice.
Fields of Study
Black, Race, and Ethnic Studies, Gender and Sexuality Studies, History, Humanities
Generative AI Disclosure
This project is proudly human-made
