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Picket Fences2 Delves Into The Intricacies Of The Black Middle Class

1966 Words8 Pages

Throughout the middle-class sitcom Black-ish, the youngest daughter Diane Johnson1 exists as a quintessential example of black feminism villainized. Though mostly for comedic purposes, her actions are often characterized as evil, deceitful, and in some instances demonic. There are higher expectations of her to conduct herself as a lady, and not just because of her intelligence. Undoubtedly, she is yet another young black girl adultified and penalized. This trend has resonance in the school system where emerging female black students are confronted with the obstacles of intersectionality and biases of their educators. A prominent question lingers, if schools are the location where children construct their social identities, then how does America’s …show more content…

Subsequently, Leslie Brown's analysis in Upbuilding Black Durham3 sheds light on the capital of the Black middle class: Durham, North Carolina, amid significant historical shifts. Lastly, Orly Clerge's in The New Noir emphasizes the overlooked narratives of Black immigrants in shaping the middle class of New York City, highlighting the influence of nationality and regional dynamics. Undoubtedly, the entrenchment of young black girls in the school-to-prison pipeline is a result of adultification and deep-rooted systemic biases within middle-class educational institutions. While Diane is a fictional character, numerous works are emerging featuring real adolescent women to challenge the …show more content…

She uniquely explores gendered poverty and the pivotal role of African American women in Durham. In 1920, they constituted over half the population and later played a significant role in the suffrage movement during the 1950s and 60s transition from the old to the new middle class, this history is what Morris believes gives young black girls the confidence to enact everyday resistance, knowing they have a legacy of strong black women behind them which is misconstrued by educators as boisterous. Furthermore, her work acknowledges the legacy of slavery in shaping Black family structures. This legacy permeates into three primary concepts of Black femininity that emerged from the Southern slavery era, depicting Black women as overly sexualized, loud, assertive, and lacking in moral integrity. There is Sapphire, Jezebel, and Mammy personifying all those beliefs into unshakeable caricatures. Brown discusses the shifting gender dynamics with Charlie Mack and his three daughters, Annie, Mae, and Pansy, who worked at the Liggett and Myers factory. After their mother's passing, the factory jobs, coupled with the perceived impressionability of women, were explicit examples of unrespectable conditions Brown further sheds light on the entrenchment of

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