In the time the story is set, the , black American life and identity were undergoing a

radical transformation. After enduring slavery and the violence and discrimination that
came with eventual freedom, African Americans gradually gained civil rights in the
1950s and 1960s. A . hinges on the . In the story, Walker examines the intense, serious,
sometimes militant rhetoric that characterized some strains of the . But she gives her most
intense scrutiny to the often tenuous bonds between family members.
This story explores African-American women's struggles with racial identity and racism
During a particularly tumultuous period of history for African americans:
late 1960s - early 1970s --> gained freedom and civil rights
Victims of violence and discrimination
New generation that emerged were eager to break with the horrors of the past. Refused to
accept their direct emmergence from the ghost of poverty and inequality

So this story particularly develops on the tension created when these two worlds

come together with disagreeing views of the rising black consciousness movement,
particularly around the

Everyday Use
tells the story of a