Melissa Harris-Perry leans forward: ‘Why caring for children is not just a parent’s job’
OPINION - My inbox began filling with hateful, personal attacks on Monday, apparently as a result of conservative reactions to a recent “Lean Forward” advertisement now airing on MSNBC...
This post has been updated.
On Saturday, MSNBC host Melissa Harris-Perry responded to critics of her “Lean Forward” promo, which talked about the community’s collective responsibility for all our children. And she did so be “leaning in,” and doubling down on the sentiments expressed in the commercial, which set right wing media off over the past week.
Below is Melissa’s op-ed, posted to the MHP Show blog and theGrio. And you can watch the April 11 segment above.
Related: How friends and neighbors help our kids
Related: What raising a child with community support looks like
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The post below was first published April 10th.
My inbox began filling with hateful, personal attacks on Monday, apparently as a result of conservative reactions to a recent “Lean Forward” advertisement now airing on MSNBC, which you can view above. What I thought was an uncontroversial comment on my desire for Americans to see children as everyone’s responsibility has created a bit of a tempest in the right’s teapot. Allow me to double down.
One thing is for sure: I have no intention of apologizing for saying that our children, all of our children, are part of more than our households, they are part of our communities and deserve to have the care, attention, resources, respect and opportunities of those communities.
When the flood of vitriolic responses to the ad began, my first reaction was relief. I had spent the entire day grading papers and was relieved that since these children were not my responsibility, I could simply mail the students’ papers to their moms and dads to grade! But of course, that is a ridiculous notion. As a teacher, I have unique responsibilities to the students in my classroom at Tulane University, and I embrace those responsibilities. It is why I love my job.
Then I started asking myself where did I learn this lesson about our collective responsibility to children. So many answers quickly became evident.
Read more at the MHP Show blog.
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