Explicit and Implicit Racism in Equal Rights Magazine
The Equal Rights publication was a result of its times however that does not excuse the both explicit and implicit racism. Contextualized, the movement for women's suffrage in the United States, along with many other nations, has been focused on preserving the status quo, therefore “whiteness”. This is observed in the endorsement of preservation of the “Anglo Saxon” race along with support of the eugenic marriage law. More explicit articles include “Enlightening the “Heathen”, which states “In India the “white man's burden” seems to involve a fight against native efforts to raise the marriage age for such girls from 12 to 14" (Equal Rights Magazine 1924). The arguments of the author against underage marriage is not relying on the ethics of it but rather that it was the duty of European colonizers to play savior. The last sentence is “It has no effects on the banner carriers of European civilization" (Equal Rights Magazine 1923). This is the prominent line of thought throughout the Equal Rights publication when documenting non-western countries.
Other sentiment includes the documentation the struggle for suffrage in Puerto Rico, The National Woman’s party of the United States” considered literacy for voters of all genders a success (Equal Rights Magazine 1925). Suffrage was gained by literate Puerto Rican women in 1929. Originally published by The Nation and republished by Equal Rights details how the local ku klux klan is upset with a Texas widow who wanted to live on her own, summarizing her experience the author writes “In short, she should have been born a man; then no one would have objected if she – or he- might even have become a member of the klan, and could have ridden about the country without fear and without reproach" (Equal Rights Magazine 1924). Article titles themselves are inherently racist and supported colonial sentiment, including “African Women ask for Real Civilization" (Equal Rights Magazine 1925).
Equal rights lacked the acknowledgement of the intersections of race, class, origin, etc. that are vital to the understanding and upliftment of marginalized peoples. Choosing instead to base their argument for suffrage that they are deserving of voting rights based on their position rather than the argument that suffrage comes in the what would assumed be axiom of equal rights.
