#blackAF and Networked Counterpublics *[THIS IS AN EXAMPLE PORTFOLIO POST]

For this post, I have selected the new Netflix show "#blackAF" and the concept of a networked counterpublic. Dr. Sarah Jackson discussed this concept in a video on our course blog that came from her extensive research on hashtag activism, particularly in the Black community. According to our course reading, a networked counterpublic intends to draw mainstream attention to the needs and voices of marginalized communities. Examples include #BlackLivesMatter, #SayHerName, and #Oscars SoWhite. "#blackAF" is no exception.

In the new Netflix series named after that networked hashtag, released in its entirety April 17, 2020, an affluent Black family navigates the privileges and struggles of wealth in a society founded upon race stratification that tokenizes Black success. According to a CNN article: "The main preoccupation of '#blackAF' is the spiritual and intellectual challenge that being filthy rich poses, as Barris luxuriates in his opulent trappings and toys while constantly feeling required to reaffirm his identity. While the timing is nobody's fault, that internal struggle can't help but feel a trifle unfortunate at the current moment." CNN's criticism aside (the New York Times had high praise for the show), "#blackAF" harnesses the power of a hashtag created in the interest of connecting a counterpublic (the Black community) to resist stereotypical, racist imagery of excessive Blackness in an accessible, pop culture format. The series celebrates Black excellence, which is exactly what the hashtag of #blackAF set out to do.

Concept Reference

Jackson, S. J. (2020). "(Re)imagining intersectional democracy from black feminism in hashtag activism." In M. L. Andersen & P. H. Collins (Eds.), Race, class, & gender: Intersections and inequalities (pp. 487-492). Boston, MA: Cengage.

*This is not an assigned course blog post. It is an example of what I would like each of your 10 artifact posts for your individual portfolios to look like. There is no need to comment here on the content, unless you have questions about the portfolio posts.

Comments

The "Achievement Gap"

For today's reading on the achievement gap and education debt, we will discuss the video below, as well as an article from the Everyday Feminism blog. The reading addresses that white women have benefited the most from affirmative action. Research confirms the argument that gender was a "blindspot" in the original design of affirmative action policies. Ch. 33, “From the Achievement Gap to the Education Debt: Understanding Achievement in U.S. Schools,” Gloria Ladson-Billings Ladson-Billings addresses the “achievement gap,” a catchphrase to describe the difference in academic performance between White, minority, and lower socio-economic status students. This gap has been found to be most significantly affected by race and ethnicity, with a brief review of some of the potential causes. Ladson-Billings suggests avoiding too much focus on the gap, because most of the solutions are short-term in nature, and instead to look at the longer standing “educational debt” akin...

#WhyIStayed and intersectional intimate partner violence narratives

The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence compiles facts about the prevalence of DV in the United States, including these statistics . Gendered violence must be examined through a lens of intersectionality if we are to have more compassionate communication about victim/survivors, as well as abusers. We read Rosemary Clark 's 2016 essay from Feminist Media Studies about hashtag activism in the context of domestic violence. Below is a short news clip about one of the viral stories that ignited the #WhyIStayed online movement. Here or on the Scholar Discussion Board be prepared to discuss one of the following questions: 1. How is intimate partner violence an important issue for gender/race/class and feminist discussion? 2. What dominant discourses exist around DV? 3. How does hashtag activism invite intersectional feminist organizing? 4. What outcomes did #WhyIStayed lead to? Please note, this is not optional. All students are required to post a comment or...

Controlling Images of Latinos and Native Americans

The two readings assigned for Wednesday's discussion extended earlier conversations about controlling images and media representations. Read the summaries and click on the links to read/skim and/or view the supplemental materials for your comments. Please note, this is not optional. All students are required to post a comment or a question for each post. From Ch. 46: In life history interviews with Latino men, Vasquez-Tokos and Norton-Smith found two recurrent themes: gangs and sports. Most respondents had not been involved in either gangs or sports, but they felt forcibly constrained by these controlling images , which had limited their educational opportunities, access to jobs, and sense of self-expression. Whereas prejudice involves negative emotions and stereotypes, controlling images are systemic and cultural instruments of power. They are not individual ideas, but rather ideological collective representations that offer “strategies of action” that bri...

Communicating Gender, Race, and Class: 2020

Search This Blog