Black Lives Matter and the Family, Part 1: Enslavement
The summer of 2020 was difficult and emotionally taxing for So. Many. Reasons. But one of the hardest things for me was hearing white parents say that they could not support Black Lives Matter because they believed that Black Lives Matter wanted to destroy families, which simply is not true.
Where does this myth come from? Why would anyone think Black Lives Matter doesn’t support families?
It pretty much all stems from one quote on the organization’s website that was misinterpreted and misunderstood.
I’ve heard from a lot of you saying that you need help understanding this topic. There is so much to dissect that I decided to break it down into two episodes: “Black Lives Matter and the Family Pt. 1: Enslavement” and “Black Lives Matter and the Family Pt. 2: Over-Policing and Mass Incarceration.”
In Part 1, you will learn:
• What Black Lives Matter actually said and how it’s been misinterpreted.
• More about the history of Black families in our country.
• How enslavement affected Black families.
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Articles, Studies & Podcasts Referenced in the Episode
First Name Basis Podcast, Season 3, Episode 9: “Racism 101”
“How Slavery Affected African American Families” by Heather Andrea Williams from UNC Chapel Hill
“The Enslaved Family,” National Humanities Center
“The Nuclear Family Was A Mistake” by David Brooks in The Atlantic
Song credit: “Sleeper” by Steve Adams” and “Dive Down” by VYEN
