(18:20) - Melissa Harris-Perry pushes back against the narrow-minded idea that poor is associated with inherited laziness: "We continue to propagate this notion that to be poor is somehow relaxing. That people are chilling on public service and that riskiness is associated with wealth."
She further addresses her presumed "anger" as justified and comparable to passion shown by "white guys". The difference is, their passion is "presumed legitimate and ours is presumed illegitimate."
bell hooks addresses what drives her is not her presumed anger: "I don't think that I'm difficult, I think that I am exacting. You don't sit around as a working class black woman in America writing 30 books because you are sitting around being "difficult". That work come out of the amazing discipline of my life. That will to write, while I am sitting there crying, I am hurting because we can't get passed the construct of black children who's innocence we don't have to protect."
(1:08:00) - In the Q&A part of the conversation, Tanya Fields, a low income mother of 4 stepped up and addresses her struggle to find her voice and asks MHP and hooks how to keep her voice loud.
"The push back that I am often feeling is from other sisters who will tear me down. Tell me I should've kept my hand out and my legs closed. I have people tell me when I talk about being low income not to talk about feeding your kids on food stamps, suffer in shame and in silence. I am pregnant with my fifth child and had this man walk out on me. How do you wake up every morning (as a black feminist) and face other black people?
Harris-Perry stops a few words into her response to walk over and hug Tanya. A heart wrenching moment. Her response to Tonya's question was perfectly articulated, I suggest everyone watch it thoroughly. Watch the full video of the discussion stream below.
* It also makes me happy to spot poet and feminist Aja Monet in the screen capture, check out her blog here.
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