Black Mothering Legacies: Theorizing Lament as a Form of Justice Research

I feel compelled by the moment to take up these questions: What does it mean to mother a Black child within/against this historical moment within/against the (carceral) United States? What does it mean to mother a Black child when the legacy of enslavement in the United States is still the basis for assessing the “worth” of you and your children? How do I determine justice for my/a/the Black child in this historical moment? How does this justice come to matter? My approach to critical qualitative research is best understood through Cynthia Dillard’s (2006) notion of “endarkened feminist epistemology” (p. 3). Here I trace a lineage of Black mothering praxis that has been enacted in response to injustice across different historical moments and geographical locations in the United States. This lineage focuses on Black mothers who have lost their children to state violence, when that violence is perpetrated by the state or when the state fails to mete out justice for the taking of Black life.

do poder disciplinar ao biopoder à necropolítica: a criança negra em busca de uma infância descolonizada

The article discusses how the emergence of the term "minor" in Brazilian society, from the mid-nineteenth century, forged mainly by the practice of legal and medical discourse, outlined a path of institutionalization for poor children; first, in the post-abolition period of enslavement until the thirties of the last century and, later, until the period of democratization of Brazil, considering the promulgation of the Federal Constitution of 1988. The analysis for the proposed periods was based on the concept of disciplinary power and biopower, both coined by Foucault. Furthermore, the emergence of the black child was discussed, based on its status as a citizen child, contained in the Federal Constitution of 1988, and in the Statute of the Child and Adolescent created in the 1990s. From this period up to the present day, the text deals with the new devices created by the Brazilian State, which have ensured unequal conditions for black children and mainly promoted the increase of homicides among them.The analysis of the last period presented was based on the concept of “necropolitics,” developed by Achille Mbembe. Finally, we defend the principle that another childhood for black child will only be possible through a becoming-other, a new opening of the world and, above all, a decolonization of childhood for children belonging to the black ethnic-racial group.

From topic and evidence to architect: the development of Black diasporic interpretive phenomenology and the resistive strategies of Black child welfare survivors

This research engaged in the epistemological development from interpretive phenomenology into what is my implemented method of inquiry, which is Black diasporic interpretive phenomenology. This approach grounds itself in Black diasporic thought and the theorizing and work of Black authors, scholars, and activists to understand and describe the sensibilities, intimacies, struggle and resistance of Black people within the diaspora, often stemming from a hyper/invisibility created by the state, society, and institutions (Walcott, 2016). It takes seriously concerns around ethics and care while also being investigative by making connections between our present moment as Black people to the long history of subjugation and our continued fight for freedom. Three Black participants of various identities were engaged to answer the overall research question of “what are the resistive strategies deployed by Black child welfare survivors?” The term Black child welfare survivor refers to Black people who at some point in their lives have been engaged by or taken under state guardianship, or experienced adoption. The methodology used allowed for participants’ narratives to expose the anti-Black racism and continuity of slavery and coloniality in child welfare, as well as the rigourous, sustainable, and effective methods Black child welfare survivors deploy in order to maintain themselves, their families, and their communities. Key words: anti-Black racism, child welfare, resistance, Black diaspora, Black family

From topic and evidence to architect: the development of Black diasporic interpretive phenomenology and the resistive strategies of Black child welfare survivors

This research engaged in the epistemological development from interpretive phenomenology into what is my implemented method of inquiry, which is Black diasporic interpretive phenomenology. This approach grounds itself in Black diasporic thought and the theorizing and work of Black authors, scholars, and activists to understand and describe the sensibilities, intimacies, struggle and resistance of Black people within the diaspora, often stemming from a hyper/invisibility created by the state, society, and institutions (Walcott, 2016). It takes seriously concerns around ethics and care while also being investigative by making connections between our present moment as Black people to the long history of subjugation and our continued fight for freedom. Three Black participants of various identities were engaged to answer the overall research question of “what are the resistive strategies deployed by Black child welfare survivors?” The term Black child welfare survivor refers to Black people who at some point in their lives have been engaged by or taken under state guardianship, or experienced adoption. The methodology used allowed for participants’ narratives to expose the anti-Black racism and continuity of slavery and coloniality in child welfare, as well as the rigourous, sustainable, and effective methods Black child welfare survivors deploy in order to maintain themselves, their families, and their communities. Key words: anti-Black racism, child welfare, resistance, Black diaspora, Black family

Young, unauthorised and Black: African unaccompanied minors and becoming an adult in Italy

This article is based on ethnographic fieldwork in an Italian reception centre for male ‘unaccompanied minors’. Drawing on the concepts of ‘hostipitality’ (Derrida), the Black Mediterranean, and ‘intimate citizenship’ (Plummer), we examine the political ambivalence of hospitality for young African men as they transition to adulthood and how this is experienced through the intersections of age, gender and race. The biographical transition to adulthood thus offers a unique empirical opportunity to examine the extent of hospitality, as the (uninvited) Black child guest crosses the threshold into being an unwanted, potentially deportable, ‘invader’. Drawing from the young men’s images (art and photographs) and narratives, we discuss their experiences of differential anti-Blackness during their migration journeys and how hegemonic notions of masculinity circumscribe the quest for legal citizenship and the meaning of adulthood. While capitulation to gender normativity bolsters claims to citizenship, racism is a continuing and profound threat to ontological security.

Teddy and Roosevelt

What does it mean to be a friend? What role do heroes play in forming our values and ethics? In this work of philosophical short story fiction, Roosevelt is a young black child who is obsessed with the life and philosophies of President “Teddy” Roosevelt. He is new at the school and due to an issue with other students he is forced into the “Friends Group;” a social adjustment group for students the school have deemed at-risk. While in the group he meets Teddy, an overweight boy who has been in the group for years because he pulled an X-ACTO knife in art class on a fellow student who continued to bully him about his weight. The two misfit boys develop a friendship. Roosevelt teaches Teddy how to fight, as well as imparting bits of wit and wisdom from his hero, Teddy Roosevelt. Things go awry when they are caught swimming naked in Teddy’s pool. The school rumor mill spreads that they are gay. This leads to the school forcing the two boys to fight after school. Roosevelt decides that Teddy has more to lose and is less prepared to deal with the consequences of the altercation, so he allows himself to lose the fight. As Teddy Roosevelt said, “No man is worth his salt who is not ready at all times to risk his body – to risk his well-being – to risk his life – in a great cause.”

A Penny on the Dollar: Racial Inequalities in Wealth among Households with Children

The dynamics of racial/ethnic wealth inequality among U.S. families with resident children (child households) have been understudied, a major oversight because of wealth’s impact on child development and intergenerational mobility. Using data from the Survey of Consumer Finances (2004–2016), the authors find that wealth gaps between black and white households are larger in, and have grown faster for, child households relative to the general population. In contrast, black-white income gaps for child households have remained largely unchanged. Wealth trends for black and Hispanic child households have diverged, and by 2016, Hispanic child households had more net worth than black child households. Between 2004 and 2016, home ownership rates and home equity levels for black child households decreased, while educational debt increased. In 2016, black child households had just one cent for every dollar held by non-Hispanic white child households. These findings depict the extreme wealth fragility of black child households.

Child Savers and Unchildlike Youth: Class, Race, and Juvenile Justice in the Early Twentieth Century

This essay analyzes inequality and the construction of childhood in the early US juvenile justice system. Although the juvenile justice movement’s best intentions focused on protecting children from neglect and the criminal justice system, historians have argued that protective juvenile justice was unequal and ephemeral. I critically summarize three histories of juvenile justice: Anthony Platt’sThe Child Savers: The Invention of Delinquency(1969),Geoff Ward’s The Black Child-Savers: Racial Democracy and Juvenile Justice(2012), and Tera Agyepong’sThe Criminalization of Black Children: Race, Gender, and Delinquency in Chicago’s Juvenile Justice System, 1899–1945(2018). I argue that the common thread in these studies is the construction of poor and black youth as unchildlike. Because the juvenile court arose in a context where not all youth were considered children, it never treated all youth as innocent or in need of protection.

The “Young Black Man” in the Photo: The Production of Meaning in Reader Comments from the El País Newspaper

The image of a shirtless black child in Copacabana watching the New Year’s Eve fireworks, published by photographer Lucas Landau on his Facebook page, was a focus of controversy across social media and produced a number of different interpretations about both the photograph and the boy in it. The Brazilian edition of the Spanish newspaper El País produced two texts on the subject, both of which brought about varying comments from Facebook users. Using the French discourse analysis as a basis, this article analyzes interpretations expressed about the texts published in El País. The goal was to understand social perceptions of the current conception of childhood by analyzing the reactions conveyed in the comments. Our research showed us that the kid’s individuality goes undisclosed and he becomes a platform for sociopolitical discussions. This is quite common in journalism and how it represents contemporary childhood: the role of children as active social actors is disregarded, and they are simply portrayed as being in need of protection.A imagem publicada pelo fotógrafo Lucas Landau em sua página no Facebook, mostrando um menino negro, sem camisa, vendo a queima de fogos no réveillon de Copacabana, causou polêmica nas redes sociais, com diferentes interpretações sobre a fotografia e a criança retratada. O jornal espanhol El País, em sua versão brasileira, produziu dois textos sobre o assunto, os quais, por sua vez, também geraram vários comentários de usuários da rede Facebook, no perfil da publicação. Por meio da análise do discurso de linha francesa, este artigo analisa essas manifestações, que exprimem a recepção dos textos do El País. O objetivo foi compreender as percepções sociais da concepção contemporânea de infância, por meio das reações dos comentadores. Pelo estudo, percebe-se que o garoto tem sua individualidade suprimida e se torna “palco” para discussões sociopolíticas. Isso reflete o que se tem visto de forma geral nas representações da infância no jornalismo: o papel das crianças como atores sociais ativos é ignorado, e elas são mostradas somente como seres tutelados. La imagen publicada por el fotógrafo Lucas Landau en su página del Facebook, mostrando a un niño negro, sin camisa, viendo la quema de fuegos en el año nuevo, en Copacabana, causó polémica en las redes sociales, con diferentes interpretaciones sobre la fotografía y el niño retratado. El diario español El País, en su versión brasileña, produjo dos textos sobre el tema, los cuales, a su vez, también generaron varios comentarios de usuarios de la red Facebook, en el perfil de la publicación. Este artículo hace un análisis de esas manifestaciones, que expresan la recepción de los textos de El País, por medio del análisis del discurso de línea francesa. El objetivo fue comprender percepciones sociales de la concepción contemporánea de la infancia, por medio de las reacciones de los comentaristas. Por medio del estudio, se percibe que el chico tiene su individualidad suprimida y se convierte en “escenario” para discusiones sociopolíticas. Esto refleja lo que se ha visto de forma general en las representaciones de la infancia contemporánea en el periodismo: el papel de los niños como actores sociales activos es ignorado, y ellas son mostradas sólo como seres tutelados.