By Thembisa Mshaka

An offensive, incendiary ad went up in Manhattan this week targeting the wombs of Black women. I was not alone in my anger at the ad; media personality and recording artist Free shared my upset. She invited me to provide some analysis on the ad to take the discussion on twitter beyond the emotional reactions the ad sparked. Below is what she posted at Freesworld.com. I’d love to get your thoughts here as well.

Here’s the ad:

No, your eyes do not deceive you.

****

Free,

I have been in advertising and marketing communications for over 12 years. As a writer of numerous campaigns across categories from pro-social to entertainment, I understand the impact words and images are designed to make in the form of advertising. I want to examine all that is wrong with this ad:

Copy: “The most dangerous place for an African-American is in the womb.” The headline is designed to grab your attention. It certainly does that—but it also maligns African American expectant mothers and infers that the Black female body is toxic and to be feared, when in fact the womb is the seminal, most natural place in the world for any child of any mother. Now Black women’s wombs are more dangerous than urban streets, than corrupt police, than semi-automatic weapons, than drugs?! The headline seems to work counter to the overall message, which is that they want to prevent abortions. If that’s so, then what’s so scary about a pregnant Black woman? Ohhh, the fact that she might be in control of her own reproductive system; that she would make an informed choice of her own volition. Now I get it.

Imagery: Instead of seeing a mature pregnant woman, or even an infant, we are presented with an adorable young African-American girl who looks to be under the age of 8. What is this ad’s image saying? That the child is also dangerous as the outcome of a Black woman giving birth? That she is the owner of the dangerous womb and sexually active, (which objectifies and sexualizes her in a way that is totally inappropriate)? Or is it intended to make a woman considering terminating a pregnancy rethink it if she sees a cute little girl that her embryo could become? In my view, this cute girl is meant to make me look and say “awww, how cute!” and then read the whole ad. Any answer occurs for me as a ploy. More abuse of the black female image.

But what if this woman was raped? What if her pregnancy is the result of incest? What if the condom just broke, or she’s simply not prepared emotionally or financially to bring a child into the world? What if the embryo has genetic abnormalities the mother is not able or willing to manage? Much more goes into this decision than interest groups and politicians tend to admit or accept.

A woman’s right to choose is under a full-blown assault in America right now. From talk of overturning Roe v. Wade, to Republicans trying to redefine “rape” in legislation to the Senate voting to de-fund Planned Parenthood, the pendulum is dangerously close to swinging back to hangers in dark alleys or interstate drives in the dead of night for illegal procedures. Instead of offensive and insensitive ads for shock value, why wouldn’t ThatsAbortion.com share options for pregnant women that involve going full term? Present the option of surrogacy, or offering the child for adoption instead of vilifying the same womb that creates life. Or, sing the praises of abstinence or safe sex. All that is too complicated; it’s easier to slap a nasty headline on a sweet image and generate some buzz. If women of color are terminating at disproportionate rates, a closer look at all the factors that contribute to this should be examined. All women deserve to know what those factors are.

ThatsAbortion.com gets an Ad FAIL from me for race-baiting with their advertising.

Thembisa S. Mshaka, Promax Gold and Telly award-winning advertising and media executive and author, Put Your Dreams First, Handle Your [entertainment] Business (Business Plus/GCP, 2009)

Baggy Jeans, girls wearing boxers, junior mafia…yeah I just brought it back to the 90′s ya’ll. This weeks classic pick is from none other than the Notorious BIG. Life after death came with the ether, this 2 cd album is definitely a classic to say the least.

You already know the tragedy that happen with Biggie, so I won’t rehash it here. But I will bring it back to the days of X-men, smurfs, teenage mutant ninja turtle and ghost busters. Sit back hit play cause only the sky is the limit.

By Angela Hughes

November 4, 2008 was one of the most monumental days within black political history along with the passing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. President Barack Obama is the epitome of hope and an outstanding example of African American intellectual prowess. However, President Obama’s journey to becoming the 44th President of the United States was not only a difficult one, but there were more obstacles thrown in his path to deter him from continuing his run than things to assist him in winning. What’s mind-boggling is that his experience during the 2008 election season was not surprising. In a country where racism is a common element within the history of Asian, Latino and African American citizens alike, it was not surprising. In a country where financial success and wealth stands firmly on the exploitation, inhumane labor and mistreatment of our people, it was not surprising. In a country where African Americans are at the bottom of the cultural totem pole, his treatment couldn’t help but be expected. Time and time again, people of color have had to overcome adversity and toil to reach a point of success in politics or academia.

As of late, various news sources have conducted polls and surveys regarding President Obama’s approval rating of his first 200 days in office. The results have indicated that his supporters are unsatisfied and his efforts are reminiscent of his predecessor, George Bush. To that, I can’t help but ask, “Who are they polling and surveying?” These constant attempts to discredit President Obama’s judgment boils down to one thing and one thing only: he’s an intelligent, black man. The biggest threat to this European influenced society is a person of color altering the image of leadership. President Obama’s cultural identity has caused critics, self-proclaimed pundits and political commentators alike to question his judgment. The ghastly combination of racism and the capitalism used to uphold it are the sole reasons his judgment is questioned. As the president has resurrected and brought forth the issue of race relations in this country, many racially charged incidents have received national news coverage. With the recent Professor Gates and Officer James Crowley incident, President Obama used common sense (something our former president failed to exercise), and had the men simply talk it out. Objectively looking at the situation, there was a problem between two individuals who both represented two larger groups of people, law enforcement and the black community. The leader of both individuals brought the two together, talked about it and they reached common ground. While that was the most rational and effective means of resolving the problem, the same critics, pundits and political analysts focused on the beer drinking aspect of the meeting more than anything. Another important example of this extreme distrust of black leadership is happening right now with President Obama’s plan for healthcare reform. Yesterday, in a town hall style forum, conservative, right-wing suburbia expressed tremendous opposition to his plan. While it is easy to say that these activists do not trust President Obama because he is black, we need to delve deeper -to the root of this grave distrust.

America’s wealth was built on the backs of African slaves, indigenous exploitation and immigrant labor. These very people could not receive an education simply because their acquisition of knowledge would disrupt the power structure. So there was (and still is) a conscious effort to keep them ignorant and uneducated. As the U.S. Constitution was designed to benefit the “explorers” that settled here completely excluding the aforementioned. Decades later, immigration continues to increase and cultural diversity has flourished. While educational and political opportunities have been extended to people of color, the fear of loosing control of the power structure has grown in white America*. Conservative, right-wing suburbia has used their political affiliations to cover-up their “deep-seeded hatred” (courtesy of Glen Beck) for African Americans, with President Obama as a menace to the society they tried so cunningly to maintain. On one hand, the number of African American politicians, doctors, entertainers, lawyers, and business owners are steadily increasing, and on the other hand “Republicans” continue to boil with anger (read: fear) of our country becoming socialized (read: people of color in power).

Ultimately, President Obama is getting graded every 100 days not because he’s black, but because conservative, right-wing, suburban America is afraid of loosing the sovereignty they once had. A good friend of mine mentioned that former president George Bush received praise for starting a war that has resulted in the murder of millions of people, but President Obama gets called a Nazi and socialist for wanting to save millions of people. As an African American community, it is imperative not only to our future, but to the future of all people of color, that we continue to support our president and shun the opinions of those who oppose his well-intended decisions. People of all ethnic backgrounds, ages, and political affiliations have created an organized effort to gracefully change America into the very thing that President Obama’s critics loathe. Election night was his successful crossing into the treacherous political territory of presidency. But no grade, report card, poll or survey can taint the reputation he continues to build for himself in his quest to better America for all its people.