“Make It Home Alive”: An Analysis of “The Talk” in Popular Media

• In Event: Education and the Media

Abstract

“The talk” is an essential part of Black life in the United States. In recent years, with the deaths of Black Americans at the hands of police regularly making national news cycles, including the murders of Michael Brown, Tamir Rice, Philando Castile, Rekia Boyd, Atatiana Jefferson, and far too many to list here, “the talk” has garnered attention beyond Black households and made its way into the national discourse, including television news programs, scripted television shows, and social media. This is an important shift, as “the talk” having a presence in national discourse provides an opportunity for those who were previously unaware of this critical Black family conversation to gain an understanding of what it is and what purpose it serves. In this paper, we analyzed these representations of “the talk” in popular media.

Authors

• Kristen E. Duncan, Clemson University

• Brittany Jones, University at Buffalo