![]() ![]() In this essay, I will examine the history of welfare and welfare reform from a radical political perspective that places Black women at the center of an interconnected analysis of race, class and gender. While the political drive to cut welfare is not new, neither is the image of the Black welfare mother. ![]() The actual lives, let alone ideas, of mothers on welfare have been pushed to the margins of debate unless they legitimize popular stereotypes. The accusation that poverty is the result of the individual failings of single mothers to care for their families has shaped the debates about welfare. The discussion in the mainstream media about welfare and welfare reform has centered on what Newsweek’s columnist Joe Klein described as the “sexually irresponsible culture of poverty”. The debate surrounding welfare reform was dominated primarily by white male politicians and journalists and focused predominately on Black women and their families living in poverty. In 1996 the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act became law and dismantled the 61 year old program of federally guaranteed Aid to Families with Dependent Children or what is common referred to as welfare. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |