NIGHT section Week 11: Black relationships and Africana Womanism

Hank Williams
Image: Friends. Elizabeth Catlett (1915-2012). via Princeton University Art Museum collection.

NOTE THAT THIS IS THE UPDATE FOR THE NIGHT SECTION: IF YOU’RE IN THE DAY SECTION, SEE THE POST FOR YOUR CLASS

General Announcements:

  • Early voting runs from October 29-November 6. See the Board of Elections site for info on voting early or to submit an absentee ballot to avoid voting in person.
  • NY African Diaspora International Film Festival runs from 11/25-12/11. course-related highlights are documentaries on Lowndes County (11/26, 29), Ella Baker (Schomburg, 11/29),  Fannie Lou Hamer (Schomburg, 11/29), Sonia Sanchez (Baruch College, 11/30). Early reservations are highly recommended–especially for free documentary film screenings! Details at their site
  • Conference of the Midwest regional chapter of ASCAC (Association for the Study of Classical African Civilizations) runs from November 18-20 online. Details and registration here

Course Announcements:

  • this semester. Details here.
  • Prof. Williams Zoom live chat hours: Monday/Wednesday from 4-5 PM! on Zoom here. Or call: +1 929 205 6099 then add meeting ID: 528 450 5381. Or drop by Carman 291.

Quick highlights from Week 10 (10/31)’s class:

  • Reviewed the parts of Chapter 6 on sociology and the Black Family  in Maulana Karenga’s Introduction to Black Studies (pages 250-268).
  • NPR story on the changing racial disparities in COVID cases here
  • My lecture notes are in the usual spot
  • Resource/for further reading: Joyce Ladner The Death of White Sociology
  • Music: Salt n’ Pepa’s “Heaven or Hell”: on YouTube here (with an excellent video)
  • See the PBS series Race: the Power of an Illusion for a quick overview of housing segregation/wealth accumulation in the US. Lots of good stuff at the companion website. Housing discrimination in the US by official government policy as an example of institutional racism (racism supported/done by official institutions/governments.) See a 30-minute clip on Vimeo.

DO THIS for week 11–Monday November 7

(RE?) READ Joyce Ladner’s essay, “Tomorrow’s Tomorrow: the Black Woman” (PDF on the Readings page). We’ll start with this on Monday night!

Finish chapter 6 in Maulana Karenga’s Introduction to Black Studies. Read last part of the chapter (pp. 268-285) on the various feminisms/womanisms and the section on relationships, with a focus on “the connections.”

What to read for:

The second half of chapter 6 deals with varying approaches to gender studies and relationships in Africana Studies. Think about how the foundation of quality relationships is framed here.

General reading strategies:

  • Underline/highlight key points in the text
  • Use the reading questions at the back of chapters to focus you: read those first
  • Try to understand the definitions of the key concepts listed at the back of the chapter
  • Make a note to ask the instructor to clarify anything you don’t understand
  • Note key issues, approaches, and dilemmas/challenges Dr. Karenga outlines

Discussion questions

  • See chapter/essay highlights above

What’s Next?

Chapter 7 (Politics) in Introduction to Black Studies

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