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Bad Fat Black Femmes: Navigating the Nexus Between Fatphobia and Racialized Gender
Get PDFIn this article, I contextualize the intersecting nature of fatphobia, anti-Blackness, and misogyny to provide a lens through which readers can analyze the matriarchal character Delores from Nicole Dennis-Benn’s (2016) Here Comes the Sun. Delores, the novel’s protagonist, is a darkskinned, fat, Black, working-class mother of two whose agency is limited by fatphobia, colorism, and capitalism. Yet she is almost single-handedly blamed for her actions without any acknowledgment of how those systems of oppression hinder her from having the privilege of true free will. Instead, I offer a counternarrative reading of Delores’s “bad” behavior that views it as both a controversial practice of agency and a learned survival strategy she adopted after coming to understand the cruelty and indifference she is subjected to in her community. This alternative reading of Delores’s behavior as self-regard will hopefully provoke considerations about the role that poorly executed collectivism plays in driving multiply oppressed people, particularly fat Black women, to become both victims and agents of harm
Lifelong Learning and Youth Behavioral Health in Granville and Vance Counties, North Carolina
Get PDFLifelong learning supports the continuous personal growth and development of individuals throughout their lifetime. Granville and Vance Counties have rich and complex histories. Marred by redlining and gerrymandering, these communities’ educational systems have been impacted severely to this day. Mental health crises within these counties have continued to interfere with students’ abilities to succeed in courses, often resulting in lower graduation rates and a lack of interest in pursuing higher education. Exploring solutions aims to focus on the lack of awareness by parents and school staff and provide students with intervention methods for their ongoing mental health concerns. Supporting community needs by circumventing barriers and promoting facilitators will be vital to ensuring the short and long-term effectiveness of designed solutions. Encouraging lifelong learning by addressing mental health concerns among youth in Granville and Vance Counties can expand educational options and advance career opportunities.Master of Public Healt