Deconstructing Stereotypes: Betye Saar's 'Liberation of Aunt Jemima'

This essay provides an analysis of Betye Saar’s 'The Liberation of Aunt Jemima,' a piece displayed at the Berkeley Art Museum’s 'Soul of a Nation' exhibition. Created in the aftermath of Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination, Saar's artwork utilizes wood, cotton, acrylic, printed paper, and fabric to address racial and gender injustice. The essay interprets the artist's use of the mammy figure, black fist, rifle, broom, and baby as symbolic elements meant to challenge societal roles assigned to African American women and advocate for their active participation in the social reform movement. It further discusses the artwork's relevance to the second wave of feminism, highlighting the artist's subtle urging for women to break away from stereotypical roles. The essay concludes that Saar effectively uses symbolism and stereotypic perspectives to convey her radical message.

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A Brief Analysis of Betye Saar’s The Liberation of Aunt Jemima, 1972
Berkeley Art Museum’s Soul of a Nation exhibition addresses the issue of social injustice
in the United States through the display of more than 150 artworks by radical social reformist
artists such as Faith Ringgold, Emory Douglas, Melvin Edwards, and Betye Saar. Among the
broad range of artworks displayed in the Museum, Betye Saar’s unique piece is quite beckoning.
The artist utilized wood, cotton, acrylic, printed paper, and fabric to engage her audience in an
aesthetic journey into the widely publicized ‘social reform era’. It suffices to state that this piece
was created four years after the assassination of the vocal social reformist Martin Luther King Jr.
Triggered by anger, frustration, and the need to advocate for social justice and equal public
rights, Betye Saar created her piece to address racial and gender injustice1.
1 Morris, A. and Schapiro, Meyer, W. Soul of a Nation: Art in the Age of Black Power.

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When placed into perspective, the artist’s position on matters pertaining to race and
gender are quite obvious. The use of a mammy figure was in line with the persistent caregiver
role the society assigned African American women during the 1900s. Saar felt the need to
convince the audience that the roles of black women went beyond household chores in white
homes: note that Aunt Jemima is depicted carrying a white baby. The incorporation of a black
fist and a rifle clearly indicate that Saar was urging women to partake in the social reform
movement, which aimed at resolving the institutional injustices that resulted from the persistent
‘white supremacy’ ideology in the system. Interestingly, Saar was keen not to decouple women
from their natural caregiver role by including a broom and a baby in the picture. A radical
feminist would counter such an argument by claiming that the artist was subtly urging women to
break away from the stereotypic roles assigned to them in a society dominated by male
chauvinism. Such an argument would still be acceptable since the 1970s marked the onset of the
second wave of the feminist movement (emphasis on Equal Rights Amendment ERA).
After a rigorous exploration of Betye Saar’s The Liberation of Aunt Jemima, it is
apparent that the artist utilized her mastery to engage her audience in a political discourse on the
issue of racial and gender injustice. Her sensational application of symbolism and stereotypic
perspectives proved instrumental in the conveyance of her radical message.
Works Cited

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Morris, A. and Schapiro, Meyer, W. Soul of a Nation: Art in the Age of Black Power. Brooklyn
Museum. Web. Sep 14, 2018.
Saar, Betye. The Liberation of Aunt Jemima, 1972. Brooklyn Museum. Web. Sep 14, 2018.