Dani McClain
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Articles by Dani McClain
How Cincinnati Advocates Are Giving Black Youth a Reason to Live
Feature / January 13, 2026 How Cincinnati Advocates Are Giving Black Youth a Reason to Live Young people are facing an epidemic of mental illness. Here’s how one community is rethinking their approach to the crisis. Illustration by Adrià Fruitós.
The Contempt for Democracy Driving the Anti-Abortion Movement
In the wake of major abortion-rights victories in Michigan and Ohio, where majorities of voters enshrined abortion rights in the state Constitutions, and in Kansas and Kentucky, where voters rejected efforts to remove or prevent abortion rights from being included in the state constitution, the anti-abortion movement is mounting an aggressive campaign against such vox populi measures.
How Ohio Passed the Highest-Stakes Abortion Rights Law Since “Roe” Fell
The Nation Weekly Fridays. A weekly digest of the best of our coverage. By signing up, you confirm that you are over the age of 16 and agree to receive occasional promotional offers for programs that support The Nation’s journalism. You may unsubscribe or adjust your preferences at any time. You can read our Privacy Policy here. After having watched abortion win at the polls in 2022, the anti-abortion forces in Ohio were nervous.
Surviving Birth
Why you can trust us COVID-19 has killed more than 1 million people in the United States, set back students’ academic progress, and destabilized our collective mental health. It’s also worsened the U.S. maternal mortality crisis. The rate of people who died during pregnancy or within the first six weeks after delivery increased by 40% in 2021, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention .
This New Magazine Aims to Be a Home for the Black Left
Last summer, editor Jen Parker reached out to the tenant activist group KC Tenants with an invitation. Would the group write for the inaugural issue of a new publication on Black politics and culture that she and the historian and writer Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor were launching?
Race and Class: The Beginnings of an Argument
“Watch out there, Jack, there’s people living under here.” —Ralph Ellison, “The World and the Jug”1 I first encountered the race/class debate as a live issue in the early 1970s, in the New Communist Movement debates that emerged out of Black Power and Students for a Democratic Society radicalism and the broader anti–Vietnam War movement.
House Music is Still the Sound of the Future
You only had to look at the titles to see that something was up: “Atmosphere,” “Morning Factory,” “Brighter Days.” There was a new dawn in America, and the rising sun was house. Like any unearthly force, house music takes many forms, unified by the steady pulse of the bass drum: four mighty beats played again and again, triggered by a machine standing in for human limbs. For skeptics, this can be a barrier to entry; there are those who encounter this music and can only hear the bass. I pity them.
How Sister Souljah Went From Radical Activist to Scapegoat to Blockbuster Novelist
This article appears in the December 26, 2022/January 2, 2023 issue. To many, the cover is recognizable even at a distance: The lower half of a youthful, feminine face is darkened on one side by a purple shadow. The other cheek and jawline are lit up in neon pink. We don’t see the woman’s eyes, but her lips are pursed and painted red. They’re seductive—the focal point—but still more subtly set than any performative facial expression we see on social media these days.
December 26, 2022/January 2, 2023
Skip to content Find an Issue Select Magazine December 26, 2022/January 2, 2023 December 12/19, 2022 Issue November 28/December 5, 2022 Issue November 14/21, 2022 Issue October 31/November 7, 2022 Issue October 17/24, 2022 Issue October 3/10, 2022 Issue September 19/26, 2022 Issue September 5/12, 2022 Issue August 22/29, 2022 Issue August 8/15, 2022 Issue July 25/August 1, 2022 Issue July 11/18, 2022 Issue June 27/July 4, 2022 Issue June 13/20, 2022 Issue May 30/June 6, 2022 Issue May 16/23,...
Criminalized for Being Pregnant
The organization National Advocates for Pregnant Women has defended the rights of pregnant and parenting people for more than two decades, providing legal services for individuals who have been criminalized as a result of pregnancy, including for a stillbirth, miscarriage, or abortion. Typically, the nonprofit’s clients are women who are disproportionately targeted by surveillance—women who are low-income, of color, and those who use drugs or alcohol.
This is How adrienne maree brown Held Change and Inspired a Generation of Movements
It’s easy to be cynical about being part of a group that needs to strategize or make decisions together. Meetings are too often tedious, a stage for dueling egos and unspoken agendas. But under adrienne maree brown’s leadership, ice breakers and small group breakouts have the power to transform participants, leaving them feeling more connected and better able to imagine together than when they first met.
Five Well-Being Boosters
Five Well-Being Boosters Once in a while, we all need a little pick-me-up. Try these tips and tricks for getting yourself back on track. Once in a while, we all need a little pick-me-up. If you’re a little stuck and looking for something to get you out of your rut, be kind to yourself and try one of these five options. A THERAPY FLOAT Illustration by Emi Villavicencio Patients floating in the salt water chambers at Think Tank Flotation in Newport are in just 10 inches of skin-temperature water.
How Black Parents Survived 2020
The pandemic has tested parents’ limits, and for Black families 2020 has been especially crushing. Black people are dying from Covid-19 at two times the rate of their white peers. The recession has widened the gap between Black and white unemployment, with Black workers disproportionately facing permanent layoffs. And Black and Hispanic students are at greater risk of falling behind during this year’s academic upheaval.
How We Survived A Year of Grief
By Dani McClain This fall, Josie Pickens lost two family members in a week’s time. Though neither of them died from Covid, both Pickens’s uncle and godmother lived and died in a small Louisiana town that’s been a cluster for the virus. The pandemic shaped how the family grieved. Pickens wasn’t able to visit her godmother in the hospital in the days before she succumbed to cancer, and she was almost excluded from the funeral.
The Racial Reckoning Inside Planned Parenthood Original
Reviving Radical’s Radical Truth Forum AMANDA PICOTTE When Nia Martin-Robinson was 18, she had sex for the first time. Soon after, worried that she might have a sexually transmitted infection, she went to her local Planned Parenthood clinic in Detroit to get checked out. The clinician who examined her said she was healthy but added, “If you weren’t being promiscuous, you might not have to worry about having an STD,” recalled Martin-Robinson, who is Black.
What Does Black Lives Matter Want? Now Its Demands Are Clearer Than Ever
After a year of planning, members of the movement have released a comprehensive platform. By Dani McClainTwitter August 1, 2016 fb tw mail Print msg wa sms Bookmark Black Lives Matter activists march in St. Paul, Minnesota on October 4, 2015. (AP Photo / Craig Lassig) Join the Nation Festival Join the Nation Festival for four days of essential conversation and commentary in the wake of the 2020 election.
Writer-in-Residence: The Book I Read to Better Understand My Grief
It’s a difficult time for many. Some of us are grieving the death of someone who meant the world to us. Others among us are grieving the loss of public figures, icons and leaders whose lives affected many. More than 200,000 people in the U.S. have died from COVID since the beginning of the year. Behind the headlines and statistics are the messy and meaningful stories of lives, families, effort, hope. Last year, I was invited to appear on The Stacks, a podcast about books hosted by Traci Thomas.
How to Talk to Kids About Racism and Police
(AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File) Across the country, young children are turning to the adults in their lives to help make sense of racism and policing. The uprisings sparked by Floyd's death kicked off in May, when many schools had already shut down for the summer, and much of the work of explaining this movement has fallen to families. But as schools prepare to reopen, conversations about police violence may move to classrooms—both real and virtual.
On Teaching: Talking to Kids About Racism and Police Original
Schools do students a disservice when they fail to teach them about difficult issues. Dani McClain September 9, 2020 Camilo Hunica Editor’s Note: In 1988, a teacher most commonly had 15 years of experience. In recent years, that number is closer to just three years leading a classroom. The “On Teaching” series focuses on the wisdom of veteran teachers.
There Goes the Neighbourhood: The Gentrification Of The Term 'Baby Daddy'
Late last month, model Gigi Hadid posted to Instagram a photo of herself with her boyfriend, the singer Zayn Malik. In it, the two are kissing. The post is captioned simply 'baby daddy ☺️.' 'Sweet' is a word some celebrity media outlets have used to describe the photo and its accompanying phrase, which confirm that the unmarried couple is expecting a child. And the romantic in me can acknowledge the sweetness. Two people in love and awaiting a baby is cause for celebration.
Play Therapy Can Help Kids Speak the Unspeakable
Play is the language of children — which is why play therapy can help kids speak the unspeakable. Paris Goodyear-Brown is a Nashville-based play therapist and co-founder Nurture House. Increasingly therapists are finding that play is a power tool to identify and process trauma. July 21, 2020 Dee Ray doesn’t learn how children feel by listening to their words. Ray, a researcher and counselor in Texas, learns by watching them play.
Serena Williams Could Insist That Doctors Listen to Her. Most Black Women Can’t.
We can’t solve America’s maternal-health problem without first acknowledging how racism harms black moms. fb tw mail Print msg wa sms Bookmark In the United States, black women are nearly four times more likely to die from pregnancy- and childbirth-related causes than white women. (Reuters / Brian Snyder) Ready to fight back? Sign up for Take Action Now and get three actions in your inbox every week. You will receive occasional promotional offers for programs that support The Nation’s journalism.
The Black Lives Matter Movement Is Most Visible on Twitter. Its True Home Is Elsewhere.
For the movement to survive, it needs to focus on work that doesn’t lend itself to 140 characters. By Dani McClainTwitter April 19, 2016 fb tw mail Print msg wa sms Bookmark A monument to former Confederate President Jefferson Davis, Richmond, Virginia. (AP Photo / Steve Helber) Ready to fight back? Sign up for Take Action Now and get three actions in your inbox every week. You will receive occasional promotional offers for programs that support The Nation’s journalism.
Read These Brilliant Black Authors to Understand Single Life
“As protests around the country against racism and police violence extend well into their second week, demand for books about race and anti-racism has surged.” It was great to read that in the book review section of The New York Times. Personally, I would also like to see demand surge for books relevant to single life written by black authors. There are some brilliant ones out there.
The Murder of Black Youth Is a Reproductive Justice Issue
Can the killing of Michael Brown by police in Ferguson, Missouri, spark a new kind of conversation about choice, parenting and family? By Dani McClainTwitter August 13, 2014 fb tw mail Print msg wa sms Bookmark Lesley McSpadden, the mother of Michael Brown, is overcome with emotions as she holds a drawing of her son while leaving a news conference in St. Louis, Missouri, August 12, 2014. (Reuters/Mario Anzuoni) Ready to fight back?
We Live For The We The Political Power of Black Motherhood
Every mother is familiar with the juggle, but not everyone’s juggle looks the same. In today’s Mom Talk, Dani McClain, a long-time reporter, shares an except from her new book, We Live For The We: The Political Power Of Black Motherhood, all about the the inextricable link between black motherhood and political action.
As a Black Mother, My Parenting Is Always Political
To care for, protect, and prepare our children for adulthood, black moms cannot merely accept the world as it is. By Dani McClainTwitter March 27, 2019 fb tw mail Print msg wa sms Bookmark Illustration by Edel Rodriguez. When I was 7 or 8 years old, my mother would put on Whitney Houston’s “Greatest Love of All” every day before we left home for school and work, and we sang along from start to finish.
The Men Pushing to Open the Economy Clearly Don’t Need Child Care
EDITOR’S NOTE: The Nation believes that helping readers stay informed about the impact of the coronavirus crisis is a form of public service. For that reason, this article, and all of our coronavirus coverage, is now free. Please subscribe to support our writers and staff, and stay healthy. I don’t need the Waffle House reopened. I’m comfortable enough in my own body that I don’t need to go to the barbershop or the gym.
How Did ‘Driving While Black’ Turn Deadly for Sandra Bland?
Bland didn’t bow or scrape to an aggressive police officer. By Dani McClainTwitter July 23, 2015 fb tw mail Print msg wa sms Bookmark A memorial for Sandra Bland near Prairie View A&M University. (AP Photo / Pat Sullivan) Ready to fight back? Sign up for Take Action Now and get three actions in your inbox every week. You will receive occasional promotional offers for programs that support The Nation’s journalism. You can read our Privacy Policy here. Thank you for signing up.
I Never Felt Like a ‘Single’ Parent. Then the Coronavirus Hit.
EDITOR’S NOTE: The Nation believes that helping readers stay informed about the impact of the coronavirus crisis is a form of public service. For that reason, this article, and all of our coronavirus coverage, is now free. Please subscribe to support our writers and staff, and stay healthy. In late February, I listened to New York Times science reporter Donald G. McNeil Jr. warn about the threat posed by the coronavirus on the podcast The Daily. Hearing McNeil’s warnings shook me.
Welcoming Baby in the Days of Corona
Oh Baby — Finally, a Bit of Good News Getting ready for a baby is a notoriously exciting time. For generations, family and friends have gathered around expectant families to celebrate and support. A baby shower is a once in a lifetime event. This is a moment in time that quickly morphs into a young family. And now, thanks to the Coronavirus, this moment, like all of those that find us gathering in groups, is suddenly forbidden, just gone.
How To Create A Birth Plan During Uncertain Times
Changes at doctor’s offices and hospitals are forcing Black moms-to-be to seek alternative ways to welcome their newborns Photo: electravk/Getty Images DeAndra Stevens is expecting her first child this spring. In the past week, more than a dozen packages were shipped to her home. Armed with gloves and hand sanitizer, the 33-year-old Baltimore resident opened each package carefully, and then made her way to the sink to wash her hands. Such is a baby shower in the age of coronavirus.
What Does Reproductive Justice Activism Look Like As Clinics Close?
As Planned Parenthoods shutter in Ohio, reproductive rights and justice groups are fighting harder than ever. By Dani McClainTwitter December 3, 2019 fb tw mail Print msg wa sms Illustration by Franziska Barczyk. On a muggy evening in mid-September, I drove from my home in Cincinnati to a rally 15 minutes west at a Planned Parenthood health center that was slated to close.
How Abortion Funds Showed America That ‘Roe’ Is Not Enough
The movement for abortion access—not just rights—has arrived, and it’s winning fights across the country. fb tw mail Print msg wa sms Bookmark December 3, 2019 Illustration by Hanna Barczyk. Nilofar Ganjaie often has to ask people what belongings they can sell to help pay for their abortions.
What's Lost When Black Kids Are Socialized Into White World
Jessica Black is a Pittsburg, California, mother of two black teenagers, both of whom have been disciplined multiple times at their middle and high schools. Her daughter has been suspended more than once, and teachers often deem her son's behavior out of line, reprimanding him for not taking off his hoodie in class and for raising his voice.
You’re Black and Pregnant. What Should Your Birth Plan Actually Look Like?
This story is part of SELF's ongoing series exploring black maternal mortality. You can find the rest of the series here. I first heard of a birth plan in the summer of 2016 at a hypnobirthing class I took while I was pregnant. My daughter’s father and I dutifully attended the eight-week birth education course at a local hospital. There, we were part of a circle of first-time parents who, like us, had questions about everything from the best positions for labor to what an epidural does.
What’s Lost When Black Children Are Socialized Into a White World
I interviewed dozens of black mothers about how they help their kids navigate schools where they might be perceived as threats or made to feel unwelcome. Dani McClain November 21, 2019 MIA COLEMAN Jessica Black is a Pittsburg, California, mother of two black teenagers, both of whom have been disciplined multiple times at their middle and high schools.
I Won’t Let Racism Rob My Black Child of Joy
In the summer of 2016, I was pregnant and anxious. That July, while I was in my third trimester, police had killed a Baton Rouge man named Alton Sterling while he was pinned to the ground. The next day Philando Castile was shot dead by police during a traffic stop in a suburb of St. Paul, Minn., while his girlfriend and her 4-year-old daughter sat inches away.
Q&A With Dani McClain, Author of 'We Live for the We: The Political Power of Black Motherhood'
Family Story: Congrats on your new book. Let’s start with the big question first: What is the political power of Black motherhood? Dani McClain: There’s a certain power in having to navigate a society that’s not set up for your family. I think that Black mothers and families have a legacy of knowing how to establish communities and home cultures that are comforting and affirm our children even when the world around us doesn’t.
As a Black Mother, My Parenting Is Always Political
To care for, protect, and prepare our children for adulthood, black moms cannot merely accept the world as it is. By Dani McClainTwitter March 27, 2019 fb tw mail Print msg wa sms Illustration by Edel Rodriguez. When I was 7 or 8 years old, my mother would put on Whitney Houston’s “Greatest Love of All” every day before we left home for school and work, and we sang along from start to finish.
Tarana Burke Talks About How to Support Survivors-When They’re Your Kids
Tarana Burke. (Reuters / Eric Gaillard) Thank you for signing up. For more from The Nation , check out our latest issue . Subscribe now for as little as $2 a month! Support Progressive Journalism The Nation is reader supported: Chip in $10 or more to help us continue to write about the issues that matter. Thank you for signing up. For more from The Nation , check out our latest issue .
“To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before” Reveals a Double Standard About Asian Rom-coms
More than three weeks after its release, there’s still a lot of online buzz about To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before. There are talks of a potential sequel, Twitter and Reddit users are renaming the movie based on their own high-school experiences, Yakult—the yogurt shown in the film—is flying off the shelves, and Peter Kavinsky (Noah Centineo) is now, officially, the internet’s boyfriend.
We Live for the We
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We Live for the We
Get recommended reads, deals, and more from Hachette Get recommended reads, deals, and more from Hachette By clicking ‘Sign Up,’ I acknowledge that I have read and agree to Hachette Book Group’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Use "Dani McClain reminds us why Black women, specifically Black mothers, are the backbones of every single society. While we are often neglected and disenfranchised our labor is what has built democracies around the globe.
The Color of Discipline
My daughter is leaving marks—nicks from her fingernails, impressions from her teeth—across my body. She bites my leg hard through my jeans while I’m cooking because I can’t pick her up just then. She swipes at my face because I don’t immediately scramble to read to her after she shouts “Booh! Booh!” and points at the bookshelf. Sometimes she just bruises my ego. She kicks me hard in the stomach while I’m trying to change her diaper. When I ask, “Why would you hurt Mama?
President Obama Extends a Hand to Young Men and Boys of Color. What About Girls?
Late last week, President Obama announced that the White House is launching a $200 million, five-year initiative focused on improving the opportunities of black and Latino boys and young men. For at least five years, advocates who work within civil rights and racial justice non-profit organizations have known that strategies that address the needs of boys and men of color—from fighting stop-and-frisk in New York City, to closing the educational achievement gap in California—are a hot ticket.
Serena Williams Could Insist That Doctors Listen to Her. Most Black Women Can’t.
To those familiar with this history and research, the fact that Williams’s doctors didn’t initially take her calls for care seriously isn’t surprising. Williams knew her history with blood clots and knew what she was experiencing, but her providers weren’t inclined to trust her. How many other black women have died or nearly died because their providers refused to listen to them or because these women didn’t have the power to insist?
Can Black Lives Matter Win in the Age of Trump? | RealClearPolitics
Can Black Lives Matter Win in the Age of Trump? You could be forgiven for thinking the movement has gone quiet. But you'd be wrong.
Can Black Lives Matter Win in the Age of Trump?
This article appears in the October 9, 2017 issue. On June 1, the right-wing blogger and avowed white supremacist Jason Kessler and other alt-right activists met for dinner on the patio of Miller’s Downtown, a popular burger joint in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Can Black Lives Matter Win in the Age of Trump?
On June 1, the right-wing blogger and avowed white supremacist Jason Kessler and other alt-right activists met for dinner on the patio of Miller’s Downtown, a popular burger joint in Charlottesville, Virginia. The dinner was two weeks after white nationalists had gathered in the city’s Lee Park, wielding torches as a kind of dress rehearsal for the mid-August “Unite the Right” rally that left counterprotester Heather Heyer dead and dozens more injured.
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