1.
Being the first black woman elected to Congress has
made me some kind of phenomenon. There are nine other
blacks in Congress; there are ten other women. I was
the first to overcome both handicaps
at once. Of the two handicaps, being black is much
less of a drawback
than being female.
2.
If I said that being black is a greater handicap than
being a woman, probably no one would question me.
Why? Because "we all know" there is prejudice
against black people in America. 
That
there is prejudice against women is an idea that still
strikes nearly all men -- and, I am afraid, most women
-- as bizarre.
3.
Prejudice
against blacks was invisible to most white
Americans for many years. When blacks finally started
to "mention" it, with sit-ins, boycotts,
and freedom rides, Americans were incredulous.
"Who, us?" they asked in injured tones."
We're prejudiced?"
It was the start of a long, painful reeducation for
white America. It will take years for whites -- including
those who think of themselves as liberals
-- to discover and eliminate
the racist attitudes they all actually have.
