Tangible Thoughts of Tish

karnythia:

notesonascandal:

youngriseup:

Photograph from the early 1990s of Dean Steed’s (Daniels and Younge Freedom Fighter) father 

Challenging the Racist Mythology of Black “Dead-beat” Fatherhood

The prevailing narrative of Black fatherhood presents African American men through overarching and racist stereotypes of “thugs”, “gangstas,” and “dead-beat” fathers. The myth of the deadbeat Black father asserts that Black men as a community do not enjoy or maintain loving relationships with their children and ex wives or partners. Instead, they flee from responsibility. This image of Black men as fathers dominates the public conversation and the media.  The media are guilty of reducing Black fathers to a monolithic community of second class fathers and by implication second class men.  Their presentation disregards the true diversity of Black fatherhood and Black masculinity. In the public narrative of Black fathers the media deliberately omit the representation of Black men who exercise strength, creativity, and agency in enduring the plight of the Black male.

What the larger narrative neglects to include is the significant influence of mass incarceration and the prison industrial complex in the criminalization of Black men. This creates a national climate that decimates the possibility of active fatherhood among Black men. The media and Black fatherhood critics never acknowledge the toll that the prison industrial complex plays in leaving many Black mothers, women and children without husbands and fathers. Added to this, Black men who leave prisons struggle to find gainful employment to fulfill the traditional role of patriarch and provider. This reality continues for them as we move into an increasingly global economy which out sources jobs thus removing economic opportunities from outside of the Black community.  The high and unprecedented incarceration rates of Blacks within a prison economy that reaps the benefit of Black labor further diminishes and complicates the power of Black  fathers to provide for their families. 

My father is loving, involved and is raising three daughters. Although he is separated from my mother who was his first wife, he remains a constant and ever present force in my life. He is neither a “baby-daddy,” “dead-beat,” “thug,” or criminal. My father like many Black fathers defies the myth.

BLACK FATHERS DEFY THE MYTH!

My Black Father defies the myth.

He was 17 when I was by born & my grandma didn’t like my mama cuz she was dark, so she told him I wasn’t his baby. He could have left. He was encouraged to by his tragically color-struck mama. But he didn’t. He stayed with us. Then my sister came. Then he married my mama. Then my brother came. And he stayed. He stayed thru all their challenges. He parented us. He did well with all that. Now he’s helping me with my children. He’s not only a father, he’s like a Super, Next Level father. Kinda awesome for a Black teen dad from the 1970s. from the

My deadbeat ex is a white guy from a “good” family. He’s not the only deadbeat in the family, his brothers also have issues with supporting & seeing their kids. My involved loving husband is a black man I met while I was divorcing my ex. We were friends first, and then a couple. Despite being 4 years younger than I am, he stepped right up. Y’all can miss me with this black men don’t raise kids nonsense.

(via fuckyeahethnicmen)

Mia McKenzie, “The Thing About Being A Little Black Girl In The World: For Quvenzhane Wallis,” Black Girl Dangerous 2/25/13

Simply put, I love this post!

(via racialicious)

LOL @ this whole exchange

(Source: stormyeclinu, via fuckyeahgodfreygao)

girlwithcurves:

Although I’m an avid heels girl, I wear flats quite often.

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blkgirlblogging:

monsieuralvin:

 MY Japanese favorites (I can tell sushi is there twice)
I obviously don’t have a lot, but I don’t want to put…a billion pictures on this.
So excuse the really popular ones that may be missing (: 

i want all the things right now.

Get in my mouth Japanese food

eatcakey:

ok bro, that’s enough

cats are such bosses

(Source: cineraria)

jurneesmollett:

I get it from my mama #throwbackthursday (Taken with Instagram)

I love putting makeup on my momma too

eatcakey:

Dear Rachel Stewart, thank you.

gifsfln:

Drunk Glenn Close.

(via blkgirlblogging)

(Source: didyoublush, via foodmusiclife)