Final answer:
Black women in the 1960s and 1970s challenged gender relations within the Civil Rights/Black Power Movement by addressing hypermasculinity, emphasizing intersectionality through groups like the Combahee River Collective, advocating for Black business with a distinct voice in conservatism, and breaking societal and internal movement barriers.
Step-by-step explanation:
In the 1960s and 1970s, Black women challenged and reshaped gender relations within the Civil Rights/Black Power Movement through various means. They confronted the hypermasculinity and patriarchal structures in organizations, as civil rights scholar Belinda Robnett noted, by leading at grassroots levels even when higher leadership positions were often inaccessible. The Combahee River Collective's "Black Feminist Statement" highlighted the intersectionality of race and gender oppression unique to Black women, influencing the feminist movement to incorporate a multiplicity of voices.
Conservative Black women further challenged the status quo by advocating self-determination and Black business as keys to racial advancement, differentiating themselves from White conservatism with a unique emphasis on their Blackness. By breaking barriers, asserting economic and political influence, and reversing discriminatory practices even within the feminist movement itself, these women made significant strides in civil rights for themselves and their communities.
The National Women's Conference in Houston reflected the prominent role played by leading women of color and underscored the ongoing struggle against discrimination, both within and outside of the movement. Black women were able to reshape gender relations within various movements by being leaders, activists, and a voice for the unique struggles faced by women of color.