African Studies 101

"Good afternoon." Ashely said.

"Hey, Ashely." Rebecca smiled back at her.

"What's so good about it?" Kim mumbled. She tried pulling the material of her dress away from her body to conceal her nipples before giving up with a huff of annoyance. "All of my classmates have been looking at me like I'm a slut all week. Another Korean girl I did a group project with last semester muttered, 'maechunbu' when I walked past her yesterday."

"Maechunbu?" Rebecca asked.

"It means whore." Kim said.

"The clothes do take some getting used to." Ashely said lightheartedly. Kim gave her a disgusted look.

"Have you seen how 'those' men look at us?" Kim waved vaguely behind her.

"I mean, men always look at us. I've kind of gotten used to it. The flirting is kind of fun." Ashley said.

"Honestly, I'm just trying to get into better shape, I can't continue to wear these clothes unless I lose a few pounds. I feel like such a cow." Rebecca said.

Kim was cut short of responding as Sara walked in. The whole room went quiet as their instructor walked to her desk. Cold calculating eyes roamed over their bodies as she worked her way down the line of girls. Seemingly satisfied by what she saw, she made a few notes in her notebook and then flashed the wider room a sunny smile.

"Good afternoon everyone and welcome to week 2." Sara said.

Sara was wearing a yellow sundress that would have looked cute if she hadn't paired it with a black bra and panty set. Clearly, she wanted everyone to see her underwear.

"We have a lot to get too, so let's not waste any time."

The lecture started off innocently enough. A video showing modern tribes in Africa started playing on screen. Naked African women walked around a village along a river in the bush. They seemed happy and carefree. No one seemed to care that they weren't wearing any clothing to cover their breasts. None of the women seemed to care that the African men looked at their exposed chests openly and without shame. None one of the other men seemed to care either. There was so jealousy or possessiveness. Sara even took a moment to emphasize that this is the nature order in tribal Africa.

The second part of the lecture took them back to the U.S. and built on the injustices covered in last class. This lecture involved black resistance. Slave revolts were covered in detail. A line drawing of a slave shooting a clansman off his horse was show, along with the freed slaves fighting in the civil war. Race riots, which the video referred to as "Just Rebellion" were covered next. Images of burning buildings with black men throwing their fists in the air.

The third part of the lecture instantly became personal. The third section was all about white women and their role in the racist system. Images of slaves being whipped in the field were super imposed against oil painting of rich white women in Europe sipping tea and eating chocolate.

"Cause and effect." Sara said. "The fruits of unjust labor being enjoyed by the privileged."

It went on to describe how, in their insecurity, white men used white women's bodies as justification for violence. A perceived slight against a white woman's honor could get a black man brutally beaten by police. How white women's honor was weaponized by racist lynch mobs or how white women outright lied to police in order to get black men thrown in prison. More images of violence were constantly popping up on screen, superimposed against images of splendor and abundance. Ashely wanted to cry watching it all.

The video at least ended on a positive note or at least Ashely thought so at first. Sexual liberation in the 1960's was briefly shown. How white women began to see that they were part of an oppressive patriarchal system and started to fight back. Images of women burning bras in the street were shown, although the video was quick to point out that white women's rebellion against the system only seemed to consist of their own selfish freedoms. They never expanded their rebellion against the white patriarchy to include tearing the whole system down for the good of everyone.

After the video had finished, Ashely felt even worse than she did last week. Like last week, they had spent the last few hours looking at brutal pictures and videos showing the oppression of black people. Unlike last week, she now felt a sense of guilt and shame that was far more personal than before. When talking about history, everyone always focused on white men; where they had gone, what they had done and especially what they had written down. She had no idea the role white women had played. They were all equally complicit and guilty in their own ways.

"That concludes the first portion of class, the white girl portion will begin in a moment. The rest of you are dismissed." Sara said.

As the black students filed out, Ashely forced herself to look at them. After what she had just watched, she knew she had no right to bury her head in the sand anymore. She now understood her role in their racist oppression. She made eye contact with several. They responded by returning her smile and making eyes at her as they left. This made Ashely happy for some reason.

"They were deeply misguided all those decades ago." Sara said "They began to see the oppressive system around them but refused to see the extent of system or their own role in it."

Sara sat down on her desk and faced us all.

"Burning their bras and then going home and kissing their white husbands does nothing to fight systematic oppression. And any oppression white women experienced was of course minor in comparison to the suffering of our black brothers and sisters."

Almost everyone was nodding their head, except for the lone older women in the group. There was one in every class. Older person, usually a woman, looking for a second career. Kids were finally out of the house and it was time to take her dreams off hold.

"I can see you shaking your head Emily and I'm not surprised; you are our oldest student. I'm sure you've gotten your fair share of feminist talking points in your time."

"I've personally experienced misogyny at work." Emily said.

Sara rolled her eyes. "I'm sure that you have, honey and I'm sure you left that job to go tend to your kids in the suburbs too. An option only afforded to the privileged. I bet you've never had to work 3 jobs because a racist system doesn't allow you to make enough to support your family. Let me guess, while you were there you got paid a little less, maybe got called 'sugar' in an elevator once and you think that can be compared to the real oppression of black people."

Emily's eyes widened. "That's not what I mea--."

"Who do you think wore the lace, Emily? Who ate the chocolate?"

"Excuse me?" Emily asked, suddenly confused.

"Who do you think ate the chocolate? Drank the tea. Wore the lace and the cotton harvested with slave labor. Bought the jewelry mined with blood in Africa. You may not have held the whip, but you are descended from those who did, and you certainly have benefited from its use. I will not tolerate white women playing the victim in my class. I could care less that you're the wife of the mayor."

"I would never use my husband's position to--." Emily started.

"Good." Sara said.

Sara stared Emily down hard. Emily fell silent and finally lowered her head, unsure how to respond. Sara then promptly ignored her as she addressed the group.

"Our sisters in arms did get one thing right though. Bras represent an unnatural binding of our chest. What those beautiful African women in the video showed us today is that there is no shame in showing off your breasts to black men, it is a perfectly natural expression of your sexuality. Bras are a construct of the white male patriarchy. Meant to hide and protect our modesty. What they really were really meant to do was protect the white male ego and deny the black gaze. Perceived slights to your modesty and honor have been used as justification of horrific violence for years. The black man has a right to look at you and you should feel guilty wearing a bra. Today we're going to get that guilt off our chests. Follow me."

It was quite dark when they left the building and a few of the girls stumbled in their heels. The whole building was shaped like a "C" with a courtyard in the center. The courtyard was mostly grass with a few tables for people to take their lunch at. There was a low wall and a line of trees separating the opening in the "C" with the campus street beyond. Sara approached a steel barrel in the center of the courtyard.

"Gather around girls." Sara said.

Her face was suddenly illuminated as she struck a match and threw it into the barrel. The courtyard was filled with smell of smoke and after a minute the soft glow of a visible fame illuminated the group.

"This is as much a symbolic gesture as anything. I understand that some of you needs bras," Sara looked at her as she spoke, "while others do not." She glanced at Kim who looked uncomfortable. "While there will be certain occasions where you may feel they are necessary it is more about who you're now dressing for."

Sara fiddled with her shirt for a few seconds before pulling a sexy black bra out of her shirt. Now braless she held the tiny garment over the flames for a moment while sweeping her eyes over the girls. She then dropped her bra into the fire. "You will respect the black man's right to gaze at your white bodies. You will only wear a bra when absolutely necessary and the garment will show off as much skin as possible when you do."

The girls all shot nervous glances at each other and at the street just barely visible behind the foliage.

"Emily, why don't you go first."

Sara waved the older woman forward and she reluctantly approached the burning barrel. After staring at Sara for a moment, Emily reached into her shirt, unclasped her bra and after a bit of gymnastics pulled the red garment out of her shirt. She held it loosely in her hands in front of her.

"Now face the group, throw it into the fire and repeat after me, 'I will not obstruct the black man's gaze'."

Emily looked at all of us with a pleating gaze and when she saw that none of them were going to help her, she reached out and tossed her bra into the flames. "I will not obstruct the black man's gaze." Emily said weakly.

"Louder!" Sara shouted. Ashely shot a look towards the street to see if they had attracted any attention. Emily repeated the line loud enough for everyone to hear but thankfully quieter than Sara.

"Good. Now the rest of you, take off your bras and form a line." Sara said.

Ashely reached behind her back and quickly undid the clasp before removing her own bra. Rebecca tried to remove her bra but found that her shirt was too tight to make it practical. With a sigh of frustration, her grabbed the hem of her shirt and pulled it over her head before removing her own undergarment.

She was about to put her shirt back on when Sara stopped her. "You're fine just like that girl. In fact, those of you who don't have a bra can remove your shirt like Rebecca just did."

Ashely thought Rebecca might try and argue but after the admonishing that Emily had just received, she just nodded her head at the professor. She stood there holding her shirt against her fat tits and waited for her turn. It looked like Kim might actually try and argue with Sara. She wasn't wearing a bra and had a dress on to boot. After a dangerously long pause she reached down and pulled her whole dress off, exposing her A cup tits and leaving her in just a tiny pair of sheer panties.

"Wonderful!" Sara clapped her hands in girlish cheer and directed everyone to form up.

The girls all formed a line and one by one they approached Sara and the burning barrel. Kim of course, didn't have a bra to burn but was still required to stand in front of the class and say the words like everyone else. When it was Ashley's turn, she stepped up and more casually than she thought possible, threw her bra into the barrel.

"Say it." Sara said.

"I will not obstruct the black man's gaze." Ashely felt a weird sense of release in the words. There was a tightness in her chest that she didn't realize was there after watching that horrible section of today's video. Her actions the first week were just a preamble. This felt like she was actually taking the first step in a journey.

"Good girl. Next."

When they were all done, they formed back into a group facing the professor. Kim and Rebecca were relieved to put their clothes back on and even more relieved when Sara let them do it without comment. The courtyard was secluded but it wasn't impossible to see into and neither of them wanted their nudes posted on the internet by a peeping tom.

"Easiest way to prevent your modesty from being weaponized by white men is too not have any modesty in the first place." Sara said with a carefree look on her face.

The girls all gave noncommittal responses and waited for Sara to continue.

"You all did very well today. Personalized assignments begin this week. Come grab your envelope from me before you leave. Class dismissed." Sara said.

After grabbing her envelope, Ashely absentmindedly realized that without a bra on her shirt barely covered her tits at all. As she walked to dinner her nipples kept poking out of the fabric. She had to keep readjusting the fabric as she walked. She was putting on quite a show, which was kind of the point, she thought even if she looked like a stripper.

****

After dinner, Ashely returned to her dorm room and called Josh. She really wanted to hear her boyfriend's voice. He picked up almost instantly.

"Hi Ashely." Josh said. "What's up?"

"Hey baby. I just got done with dinner and I wanted to hear your voice."

"Aww that's sweet. Just got done with dinner myself. About to go over to Matt's place for some D&D in a few minutes. How's your new class going? What's it called black studies?"

"African Studies." Ashely huffed. "Don't even get me started. This class is such bullshit."

"I told you. Diversity credit is a waste of time. You send the whole semester walking on egg shells and trying to get a good grade." Josh said.

"I know but I didn't expect it to be like this. It's like, hate white people hour and the requirements for class are just ridiculous."

"You want to talk about it?" Josh said in his soothing voice.

"God no, let's talk about anything else." Ashely said.

Ashely listened to Josh rattle on about nothing important for the next half an hour. His classes, his D&D group, the weather, anything but fucking African Studies. Josh's voice always soothed her anxiety. She was feeling great by the time they hung up. She almost procrastinated on her assignment because she didn't want to ruin her good mood. Ultimately, Ashely decided it was best to get it out of the way and tackle her African Studies homework tonight. It was just a video after all, she didn't actually have to do anything.

In weeks past she would have changed into her pajamas if she wanted to watch a movie, but her pajamas had ended up on the trash heap like most of her other clothes. She made do with just her panties and laid down in bed. The assignment card directed her to a link on the course website. Using a code on the card and her own university log in, she was directed to a 2-hour movie. She clicked a few consent forms about privacy and recording for quality and improvement of the course as fast as she could. Bla bla bla, she thought. She wanted to get this over with as quick as possible.

Ashely leaned back in bed and hit play. The image of a Q with a black snake wrapped around it appeared on screen, with the text Black Power Coalition under it. The next screen showed a picture of a black spade, like the playing cards with "Betta Betta Cappa productions" under it. The audio then kicked in and the screen faded out to the image of a beautiful bubbly blond girl who stepped into frame wearing nothing but a mesh bikini.

"Hey girl and welcome to your personalized instructional video: 'An introduction to Interracial Sex', my name's Jill and I'll be your guild for the next 2 hours. This video was tailor fit to you based on your answers to the beginning questionnaire during course registration. Please use headphones for the best results for this video and let's begin."

Ashely paused the video and grabbed a pair of headphones from her bedside table.

"Throughout this course you will come to appreciate the special bond between white women and black men. You will learn how two very diverse peoples can come together through the power of sex and how you can best use your body to achieve black racial justice. So, sit back, relax and enjoy watching these white women submit to the needs of black men, as you will soon submit yourself. And remember, there is no sacrifice too great for racial justice."

Ashely rolled her eyes. "Sure. Whatever."

A still image appeared on screen. A beautiful blonde girl had her arms wrapped around the neck of a black man and was kissing him on the lips. Both were dressed normally and appeared to be out in public. Ashely recoiled instinctively. This was simply not done, certainly not by good Southern Christian girls. The word "whore" instinctively popped into her head.

"For most of you I'm sure this image makes you uncomfortable or you feel that it is improper behavior for a good white girl. A few of you may even express outright disgust and racist reactions to his image." Jill said.

Bingo. A guilty expression showed on Ashely's face. She was right. Jill seemed to know exactly what she was thinking.

"We need to reprogram your mind to show acceptance towards others and reevaluate your inherent prejudges. In order to do that you must be willing to open yourself up, consider new ideas and most importantly follow instructions."

I can do that at least, Ashely thought.

The first video showed the same couple now passionately kissing. Jill commented on the passion they both showed towards each other. Ashely was directed to look at the contrast of their skin tones and how well they complimented each other. Jill commented extensively on how beautiful the woman was and how masculine and handsome the man was. The woman on screen seemed to be enjoying the encounter and Ashely heard a soft moan coming through her headphones.

"When was the last time your boyfriend kissed you like the girl in the video?" Jill asked.

Josh has never kissed me like that, Ashely thought. He was always more chaste in his affection towards her. Pecks on the lips in public and holding hands.

The topic then switched to dress and how others view you. "Consider the following video clip," Jill said.

A well-dressed white couple were walking hand in hand. Th guy had his arms around the girl as a couple of black men walked by. The white male gave the black men side eyes as the girl tucked herself further under his arms.

"First impressions are often the only impression people get to experience from you. How you dress and act informs how people view you and how others come to view society. Do you understand the place of privilege that couple was acting from? Try looking critically at the situation from the perspective of the black men walking down the street."

Ashely tried to look at the situation from the point of view of the men walking past the couple but didn't really get it.

"The white couple assumed that the men were dangerous because of their skin color. The girl acted like she needed protection even though she didn't, further feeding into the white male ego. I'm sure the white man would have felt justified in lashing out at the two men for the crime of walking down the street while black. Do you understand how racist their response was?"

Ashely nodded her head. "Oh, I do now."

"Now consider the following clip."