See “Breaking The Silence: Toward a Black Male Feminist Criticism,” by David Ikard

@ASoulAFire @JaniceOCG BreakingTheSilenceTowardABlackMaleFeministCriticism is 2007 book by @blkeducator & @LSUPress. Dr. David H. Ikard is live on Thurs., Jan. 13th at 8 pm ET, for premiere of “If America Fails?” on the TruthWorks Network YouTube channel, for discussion on democracy.

Breaking The Silence: Toward a Black Male Feminist Criticism (2007), is the first book published by IAF Guest Expert, Dr. David H. Ikard, Professor and Chair, African-American and Diaspora Studies at Vanderbilt University.

You can see Dr. Ikard live on Thursday, January 13th at 8 pm ET, when he joins the premiere of “If America Fails?:  The Coming Tyranny,” on the TruthWorks Network YouTube channel, for our discussion on the state of democracy.  In the meantime, I’m wondering if feminists’ concerns and issues between Black women and men, fall away in the face of our crumbling democracy – or simply make it impossible for us to fight a common foe.  What do you think?  — LMO

“Can black males offer useful insights on black women and patriarchy?  Many black feminists are doubtful.  Their skepticism derives in part from a history of explosive encounters with black men who blamed feminism for stigmatizing black men and undermining racial solidarity and in part from a perception that black male feminists are opportunists capitalizing on the current popularity of black women’s writing and criticism.  In Breaking the Silence, David Ikard goes boldly to the crux of this debate through a series of provocative readings of key African American texts that demonstrate the possibility and value of a viable black male feminist perspective…”  — Publisher

“Professor Ikard is Professor of African American and Diaspora Studies. His research and teaching interests include African American Literature, black feminist criticism, hip hop culture, black masculinity and whiteness studies. He is the author/co-author of four books, including Breaking The Silence: Toward a Black Male Feminist Criticism (2007), Nation of Cowards: Black Activism in Barack Obama’s Post-Racial America (2012), co-authored with Martell Teasley and winner of the Best Scholarly Book Award by DISA in 2013, Blinded by the Whites: Why Race Still Matters in 21st-Century America (2013), and Lovable Racists, Magical Negroes, and White Messiahs (2017). His essays have appeared in African American Review, MELUS, Palimpsest, African and Black Diaspora Journal, The Journal of Black Studies, and Obsidian III.” — Vanderbilt University

David Ikard also has a passion for creating Black art. Inspired largely by the motherland – Africa – and using acrylics, oils, wood, cloth, and archival paper for mixed media, Ikard focuses on creating images that have “something to do with black folks, social justice, self-determination, nature, and the rawness of our collective humanity.” You may see his artwork online at the Ikard Gallery. — If America Fails: The Coming Tyranny, a TruthWorks Network Production

READ | Breaking The Silence: Toward a Black Male Feminist Criticism | by David Ikard | Louisiana State University Press | 2007