#qsi17

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Research. Read. Write. Repeat.

“How politics shapes the experiences of motherhood and Black women’s ability to mother”

 Week 2, Day, 3: Jun 14, 2017. Today we spent our usual 9AM - 4:30PM “class” time visiting the John’s Hopkins Library to do some addition research on our chosen topics of interest. We were tasked with the responsibility of researching, finding, and reading at least 10 books pertaining to our topics that could be used for our annotated bibliographies. I was a bit skeptical as to what I would be able to find, mainly because I’ve found so much useful information from article and news sources. However, I was presently surprised at the amount of books I was able to find. Most of them being books that I came across during my visit to JU that were not on the book list that I made prior to beginning to research at library. Below is now my full list, as of now, of books/articles that will be used in my research. It will definitely become longer, by the end of tomorrow, as I will be visiting another library to do more research ! ^_^    

Source 1 - Defining and Targeting Healthcare Access Barriers

Source 2 -  A Dynamic Analysis of the Effect of Child Care Costs on the Work Decisions of Low-income Mothers with Infants

Source 3 - Health Insurance Coverage-Enrollment and Adequacy of Prenatal Care Utilization

Source 4: A Political history of the American Welfare system

Source 5 - When There is No Welfare: The Income Packaging Strategies of Mothers Without Earnings or Cash Assistance Following An Economic Downturn

Source 6 - From Welfare to Childcare: What Happens to Young Children When Mothers Exchange Welfare for Work?

Source 7 – The White Welfare State: The Racialization of U.S. Welfare Policy

Source 8 – Flat Out Broke With Children: Women in the Age of Welfare Reform

Source 9 - Improving Prenatal Care Services for Low-Income African

American Women and Infants

Source 10 – The New Uprooted: Single Mothers in Urban Life

Source 11 – Welfare: The Political Economy of Welfare Reform in the United States

Source 12 – Blame Welfare, Ignore Poverty and Inequality

Source 13 – Safe Motherhood: Promoting Health for Women Before, During, and After Pregnancy

Source 14 – Making Ends Meet: How Single Mothers Survive Welfare and Low-Wage Work.

Source 15 – Health Politics and Policy

Source 16 – Studies in Maternal Health: Research to Improve Health Services for Mothers and Children

Source 17 – Health Care Politics and Policy in America

Source 18 – Infant and Perinatal Mortality Rates By Age and Color: United States, Each State and County, 1956-1960, 1961-1965

[joseannel-blog]

Okay, let’s begin

Week 4, Day 2: June 27, 2017. Starting to write my literature review. For those who are unaware, a literature review is a critical analysis of focused interests or subtopics in relation to your overall research study. It is NOT an annotated bibliography. So, for instance, my research topic concerns the welfare reform Act of 1996 and how it has since impacted single Black mothers’ ability to mother their young children. My literature review will then address the History of Welfare reform, the American Health Care System, Infant mortality and Racial Disparities, and Childcare Services for Disadvantaged Black single Mothers...the list is subject to additions

Below are excerpts from my drafted literature review:   

History of Welfare Reform: Former president Bill Clinton’s passing of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 has since altered the trajectory of American welfare policy. This Act signified a shift in financial assistance and public government dependence to one of personal work and economic independence. Clinton’s goal of self-sufficiency was a reinvention of a then 60-year old system which, in essence, enabled the political financial dependency of welfare recipients. His objective was to move toward an era of self-reliance and increase parental accountability. “A central tenet of welfare reform is strict work requirements. In 1999, for example, 33 percent of welfare participants were working, compared to only 11 percent in 1996 (Administration of Children and Families, 2000)” (Cabrera, 2006).         

American Healthcare System: Politicizing healthcare in the U.S. had not been central to federal legislation until recent years. “The government was not involved in the financing of healthcare for ordinary citizens (i.e., those wards of the state, not covered by Indian treaties, nor veterans with war related injuries) until private health insurance plans had emerged as the dominant form of personal health care finance in the 1930′s.” (Almgren, 2007). 

Infant mortality and Racial Disparity: Infant mortality, hereafter IM, refers to the loss of a newborn during the first year of infancy. IM and birth outcomes are impacted by a myriad of public and political determinants, ranging from the mothers socio-economic status to the federal policies affecting their health. Infant health status also varies on account of race and other related factors including women’s maternal health before, during, and after pregnancy. Black mothers, however, remain disproportionately affected by poverty and other social factors that undermine infant and maternal health, creating a racial divide. “In 2007, the infant mortality rate for non-Hispanic black women was 2.4 times the rate for non-Hispanic white women” ( U.S. Department of Heath and Human Services, 2007). 

[joseannel-blog]

And the "Hardest Working Appropriator Award" Goes To...

Week 3, Day 3: June 21, 2017. Much of today was spent at the Library of Congress. The fellows and I were greeted by a docent to begin our tour before our research commenced. Let me just say, this building is BEAUTIFUL!! The entire structure was adorned with sculptures, murals, paintings, statutes, and the list goes on. Every inch of the building told a story, as each of the pieces bred life into the other in some form of fashion.  The LOC is truly a marvel and is even more astonishing in person. I took the picture down below of the main research room, but I still feel like I have not really done this room justice. I mean WOW! 

BUT, aside from being grossly overwhelmed by the sheer architecture and interior design of the building, it wasn’t long before I noticed the docent’s use of language in his description of the library’s architectural history. His account, or interpretation as he said, of the meanings attached to the buildings “art” pieces seemed implicit of euro-centrism and white superiority. For instance, the dome, which shelters the Jefferson Building Main Reading Room (seen above), is a mural of twelve seated men and women representing countries and their contributions to the evolution of western civilization. As he goes around and explains each figure and their contribution, he proceeds to say, “and here is American. Ready to do the most work, with his hammer in his hand, and get his hands dirty.” Hmmm, okayyyy...Now, leading up to this point he had already unintentionally, or intentionally, explained how much America has appropriated from other cultures and civilizations in order to make this building what it is today design wise. Sounds familiar though, right? There was another instance where there were sculptures of babies that lined a staircase leading up to the top and as he explains their significance he mentions, “...but these are American babies, so they work and have actual jobs, unlike the other ones.” Again, hmmm...

Listen people, I thoroughly enjoyed my time there. I definitely plan to revisit for the sake of my research and to do a photoshoot. I encourage all of you to visit the building, enjoy the books, and soak in the scenery/ But, if you go for a tour (and I’m speaking to my POC’s here) just keep in my that you’ll here a lot of “Yay America!”, “Look what America did” (appropriated, passed on like it was their’s, and called it better), and “Isn’t it great?!” (Aren’t we better than everyone else?) ... It was cool though ^_^ 

-Mother Color

[joseannel-blog]

The Growing Tree

Week 4, Day 1: June 26, 2017. Today we were asked to present our topics and discuss where we are in our research journey. This was our “show what you know” moment...preparation for graduate school. Anyway, after presenting, Dr. Howell mentioned the significance in identifying a unit of analysis within my research project. A unit of analysis is “the major entity that is being analyzed in a study.” So, above is what I have so far, serving as a basic outline of what will be addressed in my research paper. My unit of analysis is the 1996 welfare reform Act itself and no longer the individual stories of the welfare mothers I thought I would centralize. I think there is still much tweaking to do, simply because my issue of focus is one that requires years and analysis (possible dissertation), so trying to simplify my thoughts into a 3 week objective is difficult. As you can see, I am still searching for a theoretical framework to ground my research in, but I think I’m in a pretty good place so far...enough to at least begin writing my paper. 

Possible titles: (I’m writing these as I think of them) 

-Motherhood, Politics, and Poverty

-Single Black Mothers in Poverty: Politicians Take the Wheel

-Independent Black Mothers and Political Intervention

-Mothers in the Hood

-Living Single and Broke: Black Mothers, Welfare, and Health Politics

*I also had a list of other titles, but I lost it =( 

[joseannel-blog]

House on the Hill: Mind Blowing

Quarles Program Week 2: June 12, 2017. Hey people! After a week full of seminars and a weekend full of research, we took our second off-campus adventure to the Hill Community in Easton, MD. 

Mind blowing fact #1: The Hill is a neighborhood located in Easton, Maryland that has been the home for free Black slaves since the 18th century. It also was one of the first, if not THE first, places to combat racial inequality by housing both Black and white citizens in close proximity to one another (next door neighbors, in the same house, or on the same plot).  Already pretty exciting, right?! So the excavation of The Hill’s rich history can certainly be accredited to the methodologies and preservation of land records, archaeology, genealogy, and oral history (pretty sure I’m missing a few ^_^). But needless to say, this little community is a gold mine. Even my very own MORGAN STATE UNIVERSITY, since 2010, has been instrumental in the unearthing and unveiling of the history the lived, and still lives, within the community with its provision of some of the archaeology students that did these excavations. 

Note: Obviously I will be unable to go into every juicy detail of the 4-5 hour visit, but what I mention below are just a few things the stood out to me.

Mind blowing fact #2: Morgan State University professor, Dale Green, who works closely with the community and who also serves as an occasional tour guide, made mention that 8 percent of all the nations wealth is located right in Easton, MD. (8 PERCENT OF THE NATIONS WEALTH IS IN EASTON, MARYLAND !!!) That in itself speaks volume.This should immediately let you know that the Hill Community is one of substance and its history should NOT be taken lightly. 

Mind blowing fact #3: Grace Brooks. Google her. She was the first woman to own land in the Hill Community. As a slave, she was able to 1) accumulate 70 pounds = $2,500 in modern U.S. currency to buy herself and her children out of slavery, 2) buy and own her own property and home, and 3) was given mention in Easton’s obituary in a time where women were not privileged enough to receive mention. She also served as a midwife to the community and was often called upon by the white males to assist their pregnant wives, which is kind of a big deal !! 

Mind Blowing fact #4: Located in Easton (Talbot County) is also the Quaker meeting house. This served as a place of worship for the Quakers beginning in the early-mid 1600s and is very much still used today. This house is also the 3rd oldest building in the nation !!! No electricity, no bathrooms, no air conditioning, no nothing! Probably one of my favorite places to visit during the tour. 

It was great! You all should definitely make it a priority to go. 

[joseannel-blog]

Time to Intervene

A literature review surveys scholarly articles, books and other sources relevant to your particular issue, area of research, or theory. It provides a description, summary, and critical evaluation of each work (source). 

Week 2, Day 2: June 13, 2017. Its all about the literature review. Both Drs. Brunson and Howell assisted us the process of prioritizing and dissecting sources, primary and/or secondary, when researching. Here is what I came up with (only posing 6/10 found sources):

Topic: The intersection of federal healthcare and welfare policies and single Black motherhood in low income communities. (1996-2017) 

Semi Literature Review: 

Article 1 - From Welfare to Childcare: What Happens to Young Children When Mothers Exchange Welfare for Work?

“The purpose of From Welfare to Childcare is first to describe what changes occurred in childcare following the 1996 welfare reform legislation, and then to analyze how federal welfare and subsidy policies influence the availability, accessibility, and quality of childcare arrangements for single mothers with young children.” 

Article 2 - When There is No Welfare: The Income Packaging Strategies of Mothers Without Earnings or Cash Assistance Following An Economic Downturn

The authors sampled low-income women with children “living in southeast Michigan and Los Angeles, California to begin to examine the economic survival strategies of mothers who have found themselves without earnings and without welfare benefits in the aftermath of the Great Recession.” They also looked at the “1996 welfare reform law [that] sought to reformulate single mothers’ income package, replacing cash welfare checks with paychecks.”    

Article 3 -  A Dynamic Analysis of the Effect of Child Care Costs on the Work Decisions of Low-income Mothers with Infants

“Child care costs affect the employment of low-income mothers in particular because they represent a larger portion of these mothers’ earnings. The results showed that child care costs are a barrier to work that is larger for low-income mothers than for non-low-income mothers.”

Article 4 - The Increasing Racial Disparity in Infant Mortality

“Although major absolute declines in infant mortality have occurred across racial/ethnic groups over the past several decades, the relative gap between blacks and whites has persisted.” This analysis concentrated on the disparities between white and Black populations. 

Article 5 - Health Insurance Coverage-Enrollment and Adequacy of Prenatal Care Utilization

“Black women's experiences with Medicaid enrollment and application procedures were associated with less than adequate prenatal care. This study used data from a statewide representative sample of recently delivered women in South Carolina to assess (1) patterns of health care insurance source and (2) the independent effects of Medicaid enrollment and application procedures on receipt of prenatal care”

Article 6 - Defining and Targeting Healthcare Access Barriers

“ The impact of social and economic determinants of health status and the existence of racial and ethnic health care access disparities have been well-documented. These barriers are associated with screening, late presentation to care, and lack of treatment, which in turn result in poor health outcomes and health disparities.” 

All in all I still have a LONG way to go, but I think I’ve gotten a pretty good start. Tomorrow...to the library ! 

[joseannel-blog]

What's Killing America’s Black Infants?

Racism is fueling a national health crisis.

"Black women who received prenatal care lost children at higher rates than white women who never saw a doctor." - The Nation

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You get a source! You get a source! YOU GET A SOURCE!!

Week 3, Day 1: June 19, 2017. Okay, so I know I’ve been gone for a while now. I feel like I haven’t posted anything or given any updates in so long, and I have a perfectly good reason for that...For the past couple of days, since the last time I posted, I have been stuck in the sunken place that is archival research. It’s been a non-stop search for sources in hopes to further develop my research for the next three weeks. I’ve been to John’s Hopkins Library, Towson University’s Library, Morgan State’s Library, and on Wednesday I will be going to the Library of Congress with the rest of my Quarles fellows. Since last week, I’ve reached a point of comfortability regarding my topic and attempt to truncate my interests down into a more pragmatic approach to the programs time limitation. 

That said, I will be focusing on the 1996 Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act and how PRWORA shifted the ways in which “welfare mothers” were able to mother their young children and shaped their perceptions and experiences in the labor market. 

Then there’s today. Juneteenth. Today was short, but productive. Dr. Brunson led the discussion on archival research, speaking to exactly what it is, what to look out for, and how to properly go about beginning to collect your sources...and get this, there is actually archival etiquette! They are as follows:

Contact the archive well before your visit (eg. email of introduction, daily/weekly schedule, confirm if you need documentation/pay fees)

Check website for finding aids; may receive via email

Each archive has its own rules 

Each archive has its own rules, so be sure to research the archive before you go in for a visit (eg. pencil only, number of boxes you can receive, process for publishing images, etc.) 

Get to know the archival staff. (very important !!) 

All in all, today was about getting more acquainted with the idea of archival reaserch and taking the necessary steps to securing the best sources possible to ensure that you produce your best work.