Mayahuel's Mind

The article I presented for my panel presentation created a very interesting discussion. Kameelah Martin Samuel had argued that Reed had created a womanist text without even meaning to. However, this view has many flaws as pointed out by our discussion. The main question was: How can this be a Womanist text if every black woman in Mumbo Jumbo  is oversexualized, playing into the pre-existing stereotype? (For reference, "Womanist" is a term referring to feminism as based on women of color, particularly Black women). As I thought more about this question, I began to think about both sides of the argument. I can see where Samuel is coming from, but at the same time, there's a lot she misses in her argument. Though I know very little about Christianity and Catholocism, the way Samuel frames the Atonist view of the woman showcases the incredible misogynist set of ideals for women to live up to. In her argument she highlights the traits of the Virgin Mary praised by Atonis...

As we have finished reading Ragtime, we talked quite a bit about Tateh. We discussed his motives with his silhouettes and contemplated whether or not he was a sellout. Specifically, on Thursday of last week I believe, we talked about Tateh's final idea for a movie that involved all these little kids of color. Some people in discussion brought up the point that, while the idea was good and new, it did nothing to actually change the social atmosphere. I wanted to delve more into that idea, because I feel that representation is an incredibly powerful tool, one that I think Tateh realized. While I agree with the profitable portion of his movie makes the motive seem less genuine, the overall message is still good. As a kid growing up in a largely white world, I didn't see a lot of myself or people that looked like me in the media. I remember 2 shows as a kid I could actually relate to, Maya y Miguel (Latinx twins who were smart and sporty) and Dora (everyone knows Dora). As a kid,...