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#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.

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