Mark Anthony Neal's Blog, page 388

Why Amazon Is Gobbling Up Failed Malls

'As the decline of brick and mortar retail rolls on, commercial real estate developers are left with massive abandoned properties. Who will fill that underutilized space? A series of recent acquisitions by associates of Amazon in Northeastern Ohio provides some clue.' -- Wall Street Journal

Rapsody Takes 'The Bar Exam'

'Rapsody gets put to the test and we found out how much she knows about your favorite rapper's lyrics.' -- All Def Music

How Class Shaped Which Enslaved People Became Free

'The slave narrative was the first form of literature indigenous to the United States. William L. Andrews analyzed more than 60 slave narratives published between 1840 and 1865 for his latest book, Slavery and Class in the American South: A Generation of Slave Narrative Testimony, 1840–1865 (Oxford University Press/2019).' -- The State of Things on WUNC

A Black Single Mother’s Day by Lisa B. Thompson

A Black Single Mother’s Day by Lisa B. Thompson | @DrLisaBThompson | NewBlackMan (in Exile)
After thirty years of marriage my mother and father divorced. I was in high school when she officially became a black single mother. I’m a mother, but I have never been a wife. My son’s birth was planned and he was born into a loving, committed relationship that lasted longer than most American marriages. When it ended I officially became a black single mother too. I know many black single mothers and they each earned and wear that title in their own way. I find it exasperating that single parenthood is still considered an affliction or a curse that dooms children to failure—personal and professional—and their parents to scorn and financial ruin. That wasn’t the case for me as the product of a “broken” home, and from all indicators it won’t be the case for my son either.
Children are being born to unmarried women at higher rate than ever before. According to the National Center for Health Statistics in 2017 “nearly 40% of all births were to unmarried women.” Black single motherhood adds another level of complexity to that statistic. In fact 70% of Black children are born to single mothers. The U.S. Census Bureaudetermined that “one-third of all Black children in the United States under the age of 18 live with unmarried mothers.”The conventional belief is that children raised in single parent households are destined to live in poverty, end up incarcerated, and repeat the cycle of out of wedlock births. Over fifty years ago Moynihan Reportlabeled households led by black women as pathological. While institutional racism, high unemployment, the prison industrial complex, healthcare disparities, segregated schools, and other forms of discrimination get a pass, policy makers and arm chair critics continue to lay the blame for poor life outcomes on black single mothers. This is maddening.
It’s time for a fuller narrative about black single motherhood. Some of these woman became single mothers through adoption, some are widows, some are divorced, while others were never married. Many of the black single mothers I know are highly educated, and wield considerable cultural capital and political influence yet we rarely if ever see those stories depicted in media or studied by sociologists. If we paid attention we might learn that they are often the ones advocating for more humane policies, institutions, and communities that benefit everyone. It’s important to me that we share the full range of stories because the corrosive discourse about black single mothers diminishes all black women.
This not meant to be a critique of marriage—some of my best friends are raising their children in healthy, joyful marriages. I support marriage as well as all other kinds of families with or without children. I’m also not diminishing the struggles that single parents face. It can be quite sobering, especially when it’s 3 am and your child is running a high fever but that bottle of Motrin in the back of the medicine cabinet has expired. It is hard, very hard, but all life-changing experiences include adversity.
I just want to push back against the foregone conclusion that the lives of black single mothers are fraught, tragic, and desolate. Some of these mothers expose their children to the arts, money management, international travel, coding, and sports. It’s also important to note that most Black single mothers don’t raise their children alone. Many successfully co-parent with former partners. Most of the children I know are also showered with wisdom and love from a mighty tribe of extended family, and friends. Is that the case for all black single mothers? No, but we learn little about the complexity of black motherhood if we ignore families that defy stereotypes.   
A new generation of black single mothers are raising their children and refuse to be shamed, silenced, or shunned. So on Mother’s Day this year don’t look down on black single mothers with pity, or hold them up as Super Mamas. Those mothers and their children just might be living their best, albeit imperfect, lives.
***
Lisa B. Thompson is a playwright and associate professor of African and African Diaspora Studies at UT Austin. She is the author of Beyond the Black Lady: Sexuality and the New African American Middle Class and the plays Single Black Female , Underground, and Monroe. Her new play The Mamaloguesabout the lives of black middle class single mothers opens at the The Vortex in Austin in August. Follow her on Twitter @drlisabthompson and on IG @theplayprof.

Crazy/Genius: Why Should We Care About Privacy?

'Admit it: You have no idea what privacy means anymore. These days, virtually all online activity—searching, shopping, browsing—requires giving away our personal information to tech companies. In this episode, we review the 200 year history of privacy in America and explain what the new age of “surveillance capitalism” means for all of us who have to live in it.' -- Crazy/Genius

Director Sacha Jenkins on 'Wu-Tang Clan: Of Mics And Men'

'Director Sacha Jenkins joins All Of It to discuss his new docuseries Wu-Tang Clan: Of Mics And Men .'
         
       

Cite Black Women S1:E6: Dr. Ashley Farmer

'Ashley Farmer is a historian of black women's history, intellectual history, and radical politics. She is currently an Assistant Professor in the Departments of History and African and African Diaspora Studies at the University of Texas- Austin. Her book, Remaking Black Power: How Black Women Transformed an Era, is the first comprehensive study of Black women's intellectual production and activism in the Black Power era. She is also the co-editor of New Perspectives on the Black Intellectual Tradition. Dr. Farmer's scholarship has appeared in numerous venues including The Black Scholar and The Journal of African American History. Her research has also been featured in several popular outlets including Vibe, NPR, and The Chronicle Review. Farmer earned her BA from Spelman College, an MA in History and a PhD in African American Studies from Harvard University.' -- Cite Black Women 

S2*EP 3 | Professional Black Girl | FRESH JOHNSON

'Fresh Johnson. Media Personality. Radio Host. Wedding Planner. Majorette. 30-Second Dance Party Twirler. Extra Extra Read All About Her. Professional Black Girl.'

Left of Black S9: E17: Curating The Legacy of Dick Gregory

Left of Black host Mark Anthony Neal (@NewBlackMan) is joined in the studio by Dr. Christian Gregory (@IAmDickGregory). A chiropractor in Washington, DC, Dr. Gregory is one of the eleven children of the legendary comedian, civil rights activist, and social critic, Dick Gregory. Dr. Gregory joined Neal to discuss the life and legacy of his father. 

Racial Divides on Display as Red Sox Players of Color Boycott White House Visit

'Longstanding U.S. tradition sees champions in many sports visit the White House as a celebratory honor. But in this bitterly polarized era, meeting the president is no longer a routine practice. Many star athletes have opted out of the experience based on their political and philosophical perspectives. Yamiche Alcindor talks to Kevin Blackistone of The Washington Post and ESPN about the divide.'