DAY May 1: Black Politics

Hank Williams

Photo: It’s Nation Time. Amiri Baraka. Black Forum Records (Motown). 1972.

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

General Announcements:

The Association for the Study of Classical African Civilizations (ASCAC) conference runs from 4/28-May 6 online via Zoom. Details/registration here.

Course Announcements:

  • 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 last week’s (4/24, 4/26)’s classes:

  • Reviewed last half of Chapter 6 on sociology and the Black Family  in Maulana Karenga’s Introduction to Black Studies (pages 250-268). Covered sections on culture, family, and relationships
  • My lecture notes are in the usual spot
  • 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.
  • Selected additional resources: Delores Aldridge’s books Focusing, Focusing, Focusing: Black Male-Female Relationships and Our Last Hope: Black Male-Female Relationships in Change.
    • Clenora Hudson-Weems’s “Africana Womanism: an Overview” (PDF on the Readings page)

DO THIS for next week

Monday May 1

Read SECTIONS of chapter 7 (Black Politics) in Maulana Karenga’s Introduction to Black Studies.

Read sections 7.2-7.4 for Monday (You can SKIP section 7.1)

Wednesday May 3

Read sections 7.5-7.8 for Wednesday–FINISH the chapter

What to read for:

Chapter 7 takes a broad look at political engagement from Kemet to the experience in the US. Think about what rooting political responses in ancient texts does. Review the “Crusian Paradigm” from chapter 6 on social organization and think about how that relates to/shapes political engagement. Also think about how the chapter frames political engagement as more than just the electoral process–and indeed what goes into the electoral process behind the scenes.

 

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?

Quiz on assigned sections of chapter 7; reading TBD in Introduction to Black Studies

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