The 1996 Welfare Reform: How America Blamed Black Women and Masked Systemic Poverty with “Personal Responsibility
Detailed Breakdown The story begins in the 1980s with President Ronald Reagan, who popularized the myth of the “welfare queen” — a fictional Black woman characterized as a fraudster exploiting government aid. This stereotype was not based on reality but was a powerful racialized narrative used to shift public perception and justify cuts to social […]