Episode 35: "Mama's Gun" - Black Motherhood Representation w/ Dr. Marlo David

Mothers are central figures in black American life, literature, and culture. However, dominant images of black motherhood in the media often draw on negative stereotypes that pathologize black mothers and women more generally. Today we take a look at the various representations of black motherhood in the media by interviewing Dr. Marlo David—the director of African American Studies and an associate professor of English and Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at Purdue University. We begin my learning more about Dr. David (30:20) and the motivation for and meaning behind her book, Mama’s Gun: Black Maternal Figures and the Politics of Transgression (34:05). We then discuss representations of black motherhood in the media, including “young mothers” (41:36), “welfare motherhood” and stereotypes about dysfunction in the black family (43:24), Erykah Badu and the “Mothership (53:20), and Tyler Perry’s Madea (1:04:45). We close by discussing her recent work on state violence against pregnant Black mothers and the vulnerabilities they face in the system (1:13:50).

Other Topics Include:

00:30 - Catch up with Ty and Daphne

03:15 - BhD “Oh Lawd” News

27:33 - BhD T-Shirt Campaign (Tees for Degree)

29:05 - Introduction of the Topic

48:13 - A Discussion of “Teen Mom” the Show

59:18 - Amber Rose and non-normative representations of motherhood

1:22:38 - Ty and Daphne Reflect on Interview

Resources:

• Tees for Degrees - blackandhighlydangerous.com

• Dr. Marlo David’s Faculty Page - https://cla.purdue.edu/facultyStaff/profiles/promoted/promotions-15/David._Marlo.html

• Dr. David’s Twitter - @afrotelligence

• Mama’s Gun: Black Maternal Figures and the Politics of Transgression - https://www.amazon.com/Mamas-Gun-Transgression-Performance-Criticism/dp/0814213138

• “State Violence and Pregnant Black Mothers” by Dr. Marlo David - https://www.aaihs.org/state-violence-and-pregnant-black-mothers/c

• “Free Black Mamas” by Nnennaya Amuchie - http://equalityforher.org/blog/free-black-mamas