Yo' Mama's Disfunktional!: Fighting the Culture Wars in Urban America

by Robin D.G. Kelley

Book Overview

In this vibrant, thought-provoking book, Kelley, "the preeminant historian of black popular culture writing today" (Cornel West) shows how the multicolored urban working class is the solution to the ills of American cities. He undermines widespread misunderstandings of black culture and shows how they have contributed to the failure of social policy to save our cities.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0807009415
• ISBN13: 9780807009413
• Release Date: September 1998
• Publisher: Beacon Press
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 0.68 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.5" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

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Yo Mama

Robin Kelley's Yo mama's disfunktional! is an interesting and informative social critique. Right away, she points out a few critical points - how going into the 1970's, Blacks were making progress in the amount of African-Americans who held positions of authority in office. Then, as more and more gained power, they began leaving their Black communities and moved into white areas - or in other words, away from the "chocolate cities" and into the "vanilla suburbs". This point is often the topic of heated debates because many people believe that once the strong, influential African-Americans leave their Black communities, the communities start to decline due to the lack of role models and mentors. This leads to the belief that as soon as Black people gain some sort of power, they forget where they come from and flee to the money comfortable, but not minority-welcoming, rich suburbs of America. Another point she also brings up is how much poverty contributes to Black identity. Black identity is almost synonymous with poverty, especially the way it's expressed in the media. This leads to conflict within African-Americans living in the United States. Many Black people who happen to be wealthy are made to feel "less black" or called "oreos" because they don't know what it's like to be black - or in other words, poor. She goes on to discuss how Black America is "going backwards". According to statistics, so many Blacks are in jail, have criminal records, and are unfortunately hooked on drugs, especially cocaine. Instead of making progress - which was the goal of the civil rights movement, and the direction Black America was going in the 1970's - African-Americans are going backwards. Communities are deteriorating, and conditions are worsening. Anyone who reads Kelley's book will definitely be opened up to the contemporary struggles of Black American, and realize that there is so much more work to be done.

Review by Ruth Williams

Yo Mama's Dysfunktional! by Robin Kelley takes a very firm stand on the reasons behind the urban culture of African Americans. He leaves no stone unturned, offering not only explanations but also potential solutions and predictions for the possibilities of what black urban culture is and can be. Although this book was published in 1997, Kelly's application of his Marxist views to explain the state of the black urban culture and mentality is thought-provoking and very applicable to today's culture, as many of his suppositions are occurring as he claimed they would. Initially, Kelley's explanations of urban culture and the rise of hip hop, rap, graffiti and sports among urban youth may be hard to swallow. However, have an open mind and continue reading because as you do, you will come to realize that not only do his theories make sense but they are supported by concrete incidents and facts. According to Kelley, the main reason that black urban culture broke away to become such a distinct and different culture, filled with things that shock outsiders, is due to the decline in the economic status in the black urban status. Blacks needed something to hold on to because their economic means - which was very little to begin with - was rapidly slipping away. He explores and reveals how a separate and unique black urban culture was inevitable due to the economic course of black history in America. Kelley also goes on to defend the need for affirmative action and to criticize the blacks who have "made it" but do nothing to help out in urban communities. It is crucial for the middle working class to try and understand the causes behind the happenings of the urban communities and the goal of the book is to bring that understanding. With the understanding, it becomes easier for the middle class to band together and to help restore the urban class to a satisfactory economic state, thus starting the process of changing the way urban culture is. Kelley's lessons are not limited to black communities, but rather, can be and are applied to other minority urban communities. The main factor here is not skin colour but economic standing. By the end of the book, even if Kelley has not convinced you of his theory, you will be motivated to want to make a change, especially since he highlights how such changes are very possible and even cites a few encouraging examples.

The Problem with America

There is a lot of research that attempts to describe or explain black urban culture. Few researchers have gone directly to the source to get their information, but Robin Kelley, a professor of History and Africana Studies at New York University, has done just that. He talks about black music, from blues to hip-hop, and its importance, whether simply aesthetic or economic. He covers graffiti artists and sports stars. Kelley explains how urban youth, who are facing severe unemployment as jobs move to the suburbs and out of the country, turn these activities into paydays for themselves. Using the public transportation issues of Los Angeles, he demonstrates how the poor people of color in this country can band together and bring about change. This book covers history, as well as the issues facing black people in America today. In an easy to understand format, Kelley explains the politics of surviving the ghetto and succeeding in life. He is critical of those new liberals who want to turn the battle into an undefined class issue, rather than identifying the various factions that make up that class, such as race, gender and gender identity. He describes neo-conservative blacks as 'negrocons.' It is a book well worth reading, and even though it was written before the turn of the century, it is still right on the mark. What he predicted is coming true. Reviewed by alice Holman of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

Yo' Mama

This book is the bomb! Fast-paced, funny, biting, Kelley offers a sharp critique of the way popular images of Black urban America has shaped social policy. But that's not all. He shows how existing grassroots movements are already laying the ground for a new, emancipatory future.