MAPACA

Mid-Atlantic Popular &
American Culture Association

The issue of identity misrepresentation—a silent and faceless oppressor—has plagued the African American woman (and subsequently, the African American man) since her involuntary migration to the United States, beginning as early as 1619. However, the implementation of the welfare system gave a face and a voice to that oppressor, as it quickly replaced the iron shackle with an invisible one, impeding the Black woman’s progress, both as a mother and as a productive member of society.

The 1970s ushered in a new generation of African American creatives who resolved to take to the arts and incite a spirit of Black pride within the African American people. The Blaxploitation film genre created stories for Black people, by and starring Black people — most frequently “bad-ass” black men (and women) — on screen, regulating justice by exploiting the same negative stereotypes that were branded on them and turning them into strengths.

However, there was one issue that could not be dealt with by using violence and promiscuity as weapons. The oppressive implications of the welfare system on the African American woman following the height of the Civil Rights Movement, was quite a conundrum and continues to be a hindrance to the progress of many. The 1974 classic film, Claudine, is atypical for what was generally expected from a Blaxploitation film, as it does not perpetuate the gross use of sex, drugs and violence as superpowers. Instead, it brings a fresh perspective through its examination of the plight of the African American woman on welfare, her constant state of vulnerability in every area of her life, and her determination to rise above the weight of her circumstance. Claudine serves as a timeless and effectual social commentary on real life struggles facing the African American community through the eyes of its African American Mother.