bitch Archives - Kehinde Thurman

On the Naming and Shaming of Quvenzhanè Wallis

February 25, 2013

We’ve been here before, most recently in the case of Gabrielle Douglas and most often with First Lady Michelle Obama. And now, Quvenzhanè Wallis. Those extraordinary Black females must be identified as something other than women and girls. So they name them. They shame them. The methods are different but the intent is always the same. So that it is understood that when the rights of women are advocated, Black females are not included in that group. When the Violence Against Women Act is debat[...]

Who You Calling a…? The Battle of the Sexes Part I

November 19, 2012

I recently wrote about America’s Obsession with Black Female Identities. Ronald Reagan, Mitt Romney, Lupe Fiasco and Shonda Rhimes were among those I examined to explore the various identities created for Black women. The article, shared at Curlynikki.com, drew comments from readers who thought I was too harsh in my treatment of Lupe Fiasco’s “Bitch Bad, Woman Good, Lady Better.” My point is that Lupe Fiasco’s track, in much the same way as Reagan and Romney, ultimately serves to creat[...]

Reagan, Romney, Rhimes and Rap Music: America’s Obsession with Black Female Identities

November 9, 2012

Rewind. In 1976, Ronald Reagan did what many politicians do when giving anecdotal support of his/her platform—he made stuff up. She has eighty names, thirty addresses, twelve Social Security cards and is collecting veteran's benefits on four non-existing deceased husbands. And she is collecting Social Security on her cards. She's got Medicaid, getting food stamps, and she is collecting welfare under each of her names. Her tax-free cash income is over $150,000. Enter the social constru[...]