Racism is a "belief or doctrine that inherent differences among the various human races determine cultural or individual achievement, usually involving the idea that one's own race is superior and has the right to rule others." The preceding definition found in Webster's Dictionary outlines an abuse and quest for power. This power can be exerted mentally or physically, but essentially it has a demeaning effect on the person or persons being abused. Power comes from the feeling of worthlessness and is enabled by a lack of knowledge or education. The Color Purple, by Alice Walker, is a book that illustrates one woman's journey through prejudice and racism to become a strong independent person.
             African-Americans have been fighting racism and prejudice since their arrival in the United States. History and Civil Rights leaders point to slavery as one of the main causes of this perpetuated stigma. African Americans were sold by their own people and sent off to a foreign land. Then, they endured slavery itself, being treated like animals. Even after slavery was abolished, Black people still had to deal with racial discrimination and hatred. Ironically, Black women were not only mistreated by Caucasian Americans, but also by Black men in their own community. Feminine oppression was color blind and even more stifling than racism itself. The key to ending this discrimination is education. Education elevates an individual from an "animal" level to a "human" level. Animals cannot be educated therefore they are inferior. Thus Black men and women were kept "uneducated" so the animalistic treatment of these people would be accepted by society.
             Initially, Celie is victimized and treated like an animal by her own step-father, Fonso, and her husband, Albert. Many men in this novel try to treat women like slaves, or like they are insignificant. Fonso
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