PS: How would you envision a better future for Black mothers, one defined by equity, compassion, and love?
I envision a beautiful future for Black motherhood, but one that addresses Black women's material reality, first and foremost.
MR: That is such a beautiful question, and an important one, too. Black women suffer disproportionately from poverty, illness, and the dispossession of their children by the government. I think we ought to think about the ways we can enact structural changes to ensure that Black women receive the healthcare that they need, job security during and after pregnancy, and universal child care. Black women have historically been exploited for their labor, and the need to labor more and more to make ends meet means that Black women are disproportionately dispossessed from the ability to "mother" their children or spend enough time with them. My vision for Black motherhood starts with an economic model that reverses the effects of an exploitative global market.
Culturally, though, we can begin to shift what it means for Black women to "mother" in the present day and what role motherhood has to play in conceptions of womanhood. We can begin to change how often we ask women when they will have children, or why they have so many children. We can begin to minimize the impact of unplanned pregnancies by providing proper reproductive care and sex education, especially in communities of color and poor communities. We can begin by asking ourselves, does my neighbor have healthcare? Can she afford yearly Pap smears and birth control? Should [access] depend on whether or not she has a job? I envision a beautiful future for Black motherhood, but one that addresses Black women's material reality, first and foremost.
![PS: How would you envision a better future for Black mothers, one defined by equity, compassion, and love?
I envision a beautiful future for Black motherhood, but one that addresses Black women's material reality, first and foremost.
MR: That is such a beautiful question, and an important one, too. Black women suffer disproportionately from poverty, illness, and the dispossession of their children by the government. I think we ought to think about the ways we can enact structural changes to ensure that Black women receive the healthcare that they need, job security during and after pregnancy, and universal child care. Black women have historically been exploited for their labor, and the need to labor more and more to make ends meet means that Black women are disproportionately dispossessed from the ability to "mother" their children or spend enough time with them. My vision for Black motherhood starts with an economic model that reverses the effects of an exploitative global market.
Culturally, though, we can begin to shift what it means for Black women to "mother" in the present day and what role motherhood has to play in conceptions of womanhood. We can begin to change how often we ask women when they will have children, or why they have so many children. We can begin to minimize the impact of unplanned pregnancies by providing proper reproductive care and sex education, especially in communities of color and poor communities. We can begin by asking ourselves, does my neighbor have healthcare? Can she afford yearly Pap smears and birth control? Should [access] depend on whether or not she has a job? I envision a beautiful future for Black motherhood, but one that addresses Black women's material reality, first and foremost.](https://media1.popsugar-assets.com/files/thumbor/Om95oKzTnRwINhxoi1uwHr079-c/fit-in/1024x1024/filters:format_auto-!!-:strip_icc-!!-/2020/05/07/738/n/24155406/7ef03e84144e6cb4_contemplating-african-american-woman-with-glass-lens-in-3817631/i/PS-How-would-you-envision-better-future-for-Black-mothers-one.jpg "PS: How would you envision a better future for Black mothers, one defined by equity, compassion, and love?
I envision a beautiful future for Black motherhood, but one that addresses Black women's material reality, first and foremost.
MR: That is such a beautiful question, and an important one, too. Black women suffer disproportionately from poverty, illness, and the dispossession of their children by the government. I think we ought to think about the ways we can enact structural changes to ensure that Black women receive the healthcare that they need, job security during and after pregnancy, and universal child care. Black women have historically been exploited for their labor, and the need to labor more and more to make ends meet means that Black women are disproportionately dispossessed from the ability to \"mother\" their children or spend enough time with them. My vision for Black motherhood starts with an economic model that reverses the effects of an exploitative global market.
Culturally, though, we can begin to shift what it means for Black women to \"mother\" in the present day and what role motherhood has to play in conceptions of womanhood. We can begin to change how often we ask women when they will have children, or why they have so many children. We can begin to minimize the impact of unplanned pregnancies by providing proper reproductive care and sex education, especially in communities of color and poor communities. We can begin by asking ourselves, does my neighbor have healthcare? Can she afford yearly Pap smears and birth control? Should [access] depend on whether or not she has a job? I envision a beautiful future for Black motherhood, but one that addresses Black women's material reality, first and foremost.")
