Black mothers’ self-sacrifice was recast as negative stereotype

Evidence

In 1991, we learned that the infamous “crack baby”—always portrayed as black, born addicted, and with profound permanent brain damage caused by the mother’s crack use while pregnant—was a myth. But we learned this only after the headlines blamed neglectful, drug-addled mothers for the “crack baby epidemic,” further stigmatizing black women who sometimes faced legal charges for their babies’ medical issues. — Harriet A. Washington, A Terrible Thing to Waste, 874 (#exemplifies, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Black women’s experiences were ignored and ridiculed as unworthy of study; Devaluation of black women was a deliberate method of social control — bell hooks, Ain’t I a Woman_ Black Women and…, 191; The ‘crack baby’ epidemic was a myth that stigmatized black mothers for years — Harriet A. Washington, A Terrible Thing to Waste, 874 (+3 more)

Related

• The ‘crack baby’ epidemic was a myth that stigmatized black mothers for years (similarity 0.93)
• Black mothers are criminalized for parenting choices white mothers are celebrated for (similarity 0.83)
• Black women’s experiences were ignored and ridiculed as unworthy of study (similarity 0.81)

Broader Connections

• The ‘crack baby’ epidemic was a myth that stigmatized black mothers for years #exemplifies (0.60) — Harriet A. Washington, A Terrible Thing to Waste, 874