After The Nut Then What? Critical Conversations on Black Relationships

This story critically attends to and interrogates issues of power and powerlessness surrounding relationships among people of African decent within mainstream society.

 

 

  

 

In the context of  relationships or lack thereof   among many people of African decent, especially women, this often times seedy and pathological drama tends to play itself out as romance, finance or both.  With all the so called social, educational, racial, religious, and economic gains among Black people forty years later, why is this still the case?  For example, who is responsible for the home foreclosure crisis in the Black community?   Is it the borrower, the lender or the preacher, one living above his/her means, using  equity loans as an ATM cards,  the other exploiting their condition ruining their FICO scores while the other praising God while receiving would be  mortgage payments in tithes or the weekly collection basket for several  religious projects?

 

The recent controversial remarks made by  Rev. Jeremiah Wright  have saturated technological media culture and have reawaken those dark and murky feelings of fear, resentment and envy surrounding race and racism in America among black and white citizens alike.   Is there a relationship between propaganda and some religious groups?  With the insurgence of mega church malls with black leaders, politicians and preachers attracting large congregants, why are countless numbers of Black people seemingly unable to pull themselves out of such hopelessness, despair, self hatred and bitter resentments?

 

Frazier ( 1963) asserts that certain religious groups can facilitate prejudice and irrational productivity among its member by advocating separation, and there are distinct differences in assimilations patterns between Northern and Southern Black people. Clark (1963) also claims that certain religious groups perpetuate racial prejudices by advocating separation in their behavioral rituals.  To better understand such propaganda, Camara (2005) argues, "The preacher must incorporate entertainment within his sermon.  It is a tried and tested method, proven to yield great returns on his investments.  The church can be a very entertaining institution, and many preachers have developed a flare for the

dramatic" (p. 26).   He further contends,

                       

Many preachers calculatingly put on sensational "dog and pony"

                        shows for their congregations.  The "shows" are of prime-time

                        quality and, because of their mass appeal, can be considered some

                        of the "greatest shows on earth."  Preachers have been known

                        to crawl on the floor, carry large crosses on their backs, parade

                        back and forth, jump up and down, sing, dance, act, and even

                        stage miracles" (p. 6).

 

 

 

 

I embrace a Black Feminist thought perspective with the freedom to engage communications, e.g, education, instructional, organizational, mass, and rhetoric because it affords the opportunity to theoretically borrow across disciplines, e.g., education, sociology, law, psychology, religion, spirituality, history, and industry in my scholarly critique of mainstream literature.  For example, the intersectionality of race, class, and gender allows me to integrate the paradigms of outsider-within location (Collins, 2000), marginality, (1984), and contextualized truth (Collins, 1998). 

 

I also believe that self-knowledge is spiritually connected to power (Collins, 1998), and the power of information about oneself resides among those who have it and those who do not.   Many of us are familiar with the demeaning labels and negative stereotypes which are used to describe Black women as a marginalized group such as mammies, housewives or w****s, etc.   Unfortunately, Black women who dare to challenge the status quo or try to maintain a valued sense of self worth are often negatively labeled without their permission. 

 

I choose to critically attend to and interrogate issues of power and powerlessness because they serve as a source of healing, usefulness and service to humanity while achieving the goal of self-definition or the power to define one's own reality (Collins, 1998; Jewel, 1993, hooks, 1984; and Barnes, 2002, 2002b), unpublished thesis. Black feminist thought affords me the opportunity to frame the critical questions germane to adequately address unequal power misdistributions among marginalized groups, e.g., race, class, gender, disability, age, etc. in our society. 

 

 

According to (Gordon 1990), “such women are variously viewed to be: domineering, aggressive, probably non-threatening to the man, bad-looking/bad-acting women that no man wants” (p. 18).  She further argues, “they are also presumed to be man-hating homosexuals.  A small group of Black women escape from those labels only to find that they must confront other labels which identify them as” (1) harmless types who know their proper place; (2) sexless matronly family heads who contentedly rock on the front porch to the tune of “The Lord Will Provide”; (3) the modern day nanny whose functioning enhances the power of the dominant group; (4) the young survivalist who is allowed to manipulate within limitations under the control of “her man”; (5) the blue collar to white collar educated and trained woman who is legitimized by the power group and allowed to receive limited rewards as long as she is a supporter of the established order; and finally (6) the talented Black woman who entertains us all and is often compromised and non-threatening because of financial co-optation and /or interracial marriage.”

 

Unfortunately, many women of African decent have internalized these questionable stereotypes and have adapted such practices and behaviors thereby participating in a self-fulfilling prophecy that Black women are inferior, ugly, hate themselves, not good enough, oversexed, desperately needy, require approval,  validation and too often blame others for their lot in life.

 

 

The ambiguous writing styles of feminist scholars make it impossible for teachers

to effectively communicate with the very people they are  suppose to serve, the students, regardless of race, class, gender, disability, age, religion, etc.,  (hooks, 1984).  Collins, (1998) points out that Black women's voice is often co-opted because we write in

narratives from which is open to commodification by those who are out to build their

careers and profit.  Hence, we currently have teachers at risk, and rampant violence in

schools and workplaces across America.  Du Bois (1903) writes, "the problem of the

twentieth century is the problem of the color-line, the relation of the darker to the lighter

races of men in Asia and Africa, in America and the islands of the sea" (p. 54).

 

This comment also defines the political, economic, and social status of the 21^st century,  Regarding  Civil Rights legislation, diversity and liberalism,  Carter G. Woodson (1990) argues, "The large majority of the Negroes who have put on the finishing touches of our best colleges are all but worthless in the development of their people" (p.2).  In the context of the Black Anglo-Saxons (Blacks who want to be White), Hare (1991), contends, "Dignitary leaders tend to be either hand picked by the white power structure or catapulted into fame by white press coverage of some mass event." (p.1).  In Hacker (1992), he argues, "Indeed, as many black Americans see it, whites take a special delight in dissecting and exploiting differences among blacks" (p. 204).

 

While critique remains useful in analyzing intersectionality of the social constructions of race, class, and gender, disability, etc., Collins (1998) and other scholars admit that going beyond the characterization of Black women's experiences require attending to the political, social and economic challenges that beset them in their daily lives (Lyon, 1999; Alder & Alder, 1995; Ragan 2000; Bell, Orbe, Drummond and Camara; and Jewell (1993). 

 

In 1964, the late Shirley Chisholm proposed a bill to provide state aid to day care centers and voted to increase funding for schools on a per-pupil basis.  Then in 1968, she diligently campaigned and became the first woman of African decent elected to Congress.  I really admire her campaign slogan, "Fighting Shirley Chisholm--Unbought and Unbossed.”  When  Shirley Chisholm became one of the co founders of The National Organization of Woman and later the first woman of African decent to run for President in 1972 on the Democratic ticket., she lost consequently not  receiving the Democratic nomination although she  possessed stellar academic credentials, congressional experience and patriotic commitment.  Clearly, we can see how race and sex are prevailing characteristics which are designed to reduce non-Whites to a status  and ranking with limited power, influence  and financial resources.

 

Gordon  (1990) describes a trilogy of oppression whereby racism, sexism and economic oppression offer limited opportunities for escape among Black women.   She concludes our discussion by saying, “Regrettably, many African American women do not know their own history, nor do they know of the cultural linkages between themselves and other women of the African disapora.  African American women of today must learn that they are part of the continuity between African women and women of the dispora.  They much embrace that heritage with praise and love.