The State of Opportunity

Photo courtesy by tienvijftien (CC BY 2.0)  

In the 1950s, stereotypical housewives, like June Cleaver, of Leave It To Beaver and Margaret Anderson of Father Knows Best, may have brought immense joy and laughter in the households of many, and perhaps, in many women, a longing to be as flawless as they were. The two cleaned, cooked, and mended with complete delight all while maintaining their composure, beauty, and subservience to the wise father. Since the 1950’s the typical role of a stay-at-home mom has significantly changed. Today, our social trends have shifted and men are taking on nontraditional roles, such as becoming a full time caregiver and tackling everyday household chores while women bring home the “bacon.” An exploration of traditional and nontraditional gender roles of parenting may help redefine stereotypical roles that are perpetuated by various media conglomerates, and move us toward greater acceptance of gender roles that defy our long held core values and beliefs about the role of men and women.

Christian Bale as Patrick Bateman (image from the film adaptation American Psycho)

The poet, author, and activist Maya Angelou once said of her work that “the idea is to write it so that people hear it and it slides through the brain and goes straight to the heart.” Art’s great power is to transform what’s possible by making us see and feel the world in new ways.

Executive Director Alan Jenkins shared remarks (read below) at the 2013 Creative Change Awards. Photo courtesy of Tiffany L. Clark. 

On April 5, The Opportunity Agenda had the privilege of presenting the 2013 Creative Change Award to scholar, activist, and MSNBC host Melissa Harris-Perry. Dr. Khalil Gibran Muhammad, Director of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, presented the award, and the night included master of ceremonies (and master comedienne) Negin Farsad and a brilliant performance by hip hop theater innovator Bryonn Bain. We also showed a short and exciting video about our Communications Institute for social justice leaders. It was one of the most inspiring, energizing, and soulful evenings in our organization’s history. I’m sharing here excerpts of my remarks from the event, which only begin to capture the energy of the event and the promise of this moment in America’s history.

When you think of the illustrious, beautiful, and talented Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, what comes to mind? Well… I’m sure the term “bitch” doesn’t resonate with you. Her latest controversial song “Bow Down/I Been On”, produced by Hit Boy has jolted the airwaves. In her song, Beyoncé explicitly asserts “This is my Sh__t, bow down B—es.” It is a far stretch from her fourth, studio album and debut single “Run the World.” And we must not forget her popular feminist salute, “If I Were A Boy,” which debuted on her third solo studio album. This raises a question: Are pejorative verbal tactics acceptable to increase record sales and to gain amiability from impressionable fans? The B-word implies a strong hatred for women; we should use no explicit words that will get our point across while avoiding demeaning terms that are insulting to females.