Work for black women has been an important and valued dimension of Afrocentric definitions of black motherhood.
Interpretation
This quote emphasizes the significance of black women's work in defining black motherhood from an Afrocentric perspective.
Patricia Hill Collins highlights that the contributions and labor of black women are integral to understanding black motherhood within the context of Afrocentric values and definitions. By acknowledging this, she asserts the importance of elevating these experiences and perspectives in discussions about motherhood and cultural identity.
In practice
In a discussion on the roles of women in cultural identity, one could reference this quote to highlight the unique contributions of black mothers.
Oppressed groups are frequently placed in the situation of being listened to only if we frame our ideas in the language that is familiar to and comfortable for a dominant group. This requirement often changes the meaning of our ideas and works to elevate the ideas of dominant groups.
To maintain their power, dominant groups create and maintain a popular system of 'commonsense' ideas that support their right to rule. In the United States, hegemonic ideologies concerning race, class, gender, sexuality, and nation are often so pervasive that it is difficult to conceptualize alternatives to them, let alone ways of resisting the social practices that they justify.
The role model approach to social change is no substitute for challenging unjust employment practices, educational policies and housing.
Challenging power structures from the inside, working the cracks within the system, however, requires learning to speak multiple languages of power convincingly.
Under the color-blind ideology of the new racism, Blackness must be SEEN as evidence for the alleged color blindness that seemingly characterizes contemporary economic opportunity.
If you have a child, I said, you have a responsibility at least to stay alive.
I am so proud to be my mother's son.
I got to play with my dad. I got to go to work with him. That's the biggest thing that ever happened to me other than the days my kids were born. That's bigger than any record I'll ever set.
It's important for a parent to learn to take delight in a child whose behavior might seem mystifying. In the case of an extroverted parent with an introverted child, it can be learning to see the inner riches of your child that may not always be expressed on the surface - but are there.
It's one thing for a father to say, 'Oh, my son is great.' But to have others say it - that's the true reward. Robbie's one of the smartest people I know. He's made such fantastic movies.
If I should have a daughter, instead of "Mom," she's going to call me "Point B," because that way she knows that no matter what happens, at least she can always find her way to me.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.