Childless & Childfree Black History: Louise Beavers & Hattie McDaniel
If you have any interest at all in classic movies, you know these actresses' faces, if not their names. Hollywood contemporaries during the Depression and World War II years, they appeared in more than 200 films, often with the top stars of the day. In almost every instance, they played the only roles offered to them: maids, cooks, mammies or slaves. In real life, neither woman had children, though they frequently cared for children on screen. Louise Beavers Louise appeared
It Just Ain't Easy Being Jennifer Aniston, Ever
In times of major personal crisis, the rest of the world is white noise and moving images on a screen. That's why I'm guessing that for Jennifer Aniston, she had more pressing things to think about during the first months of 2018 than political head-scratching headlines and Hollywood's awards season. Jennifer has announced that she and her husband of two years, actor Justin Theroux, "lovingly" decided to divorce "at the end of [2017]". But she didn't tell us, the public, unti
Childless and Childfree Black History: Octavia Butler and Ava DuVernay
There are some subjects I feel as though I am not qualified to speak about. Imposter syndrome is strong, y’all. Black History is one of those subjects. I can appreciate it, and I can learn from it, but I can never speak on the subject with any real authority. So when we were separating out which NotMoms to recognized for Black History Month 2018, I was nervous about offering my opinions. Am I enough? Is my admiration for these women enough to give me the permission to speak
Does Love Require Complete Conformity?
This is a guest post from Dr. Kimya N. Dennis originally published December 11, 2016. The above image depicts a man appearing annoyed with a woman who wants a kid but in actuality the man feels he has the woman “wrapped around his finger”. This image stands out to me because it can be interpreted in many ways. I interpreted the image in two ways: (1) Men, generally speaking, are socialized to behave disinterested when they are really quite interested in reproduction; and (2)
Not Every Citizen Shares the Joy When Holidays Are Specifically For Families
February is stuffed with holidays, but Valentine's Day sucks up all the press. The US also celebrates Presidents Day and Black History Month. Now I'm learning about Family Day that is special in many Canadian provinces representing nearly two-thirds of Canadians. Family Day is just what it sounds like -- it was created to give people time to spend with their families. This holiday was first observed in Alberta in 1990, followed by Saskatchewan (2007), Ontario (2008) and Briti
Childfree & Childless Black History: Loretta Lynch
If you think Black History Month is all about Harriet Tubman and Roots and southern police turning fire hoses and dogs loose on black folks trying to vote as guaranteed them in the US Constitution, you fail to understand how history really works. The definition may be "knowledge of past events", but past events are in the eye of the beholder. Today's events become tomorrow's history. The name "Loretta Lynch" may ring a bell because of her controversial meeting with former Pre
Mums Not the Word
British photographer Denise Felkin has launched an ambitious project to "debate the social stigmatisation of women, who, by choice or for medical reasons, go against the instinct of childbirth and maternal productivity." To do so, Ms. Felkin is photographing women who are childless by choice or by chance in the fetal position, reversing the well-known image of an unborn child. The project is titled "Mum's Not the Word." Ms. Flekin explained, "I create these images to challeng
How to Know If 'Childfree Today' Means 'Childfree Always'
If you own a smartphone and subscribed to even just one social network, every minute of your day offers nothing but choices of what to make your brain do. Want to learn something? Should it be academic or pop culture? Want to laugh? Real-life cats or animation? Play a game? Learn a language? Where to click?! I can ignore a good deal of the clutter, skeptical of click-bait at every swipe. But sometimes there are headlines that push your personal buttons, and you open a site ju
