After reading Jenifer Barclays essay Mothering the Useless, what would you sayin a 2 page reflection paperis the most important key point or argument that the author makes about the histories of slavery and enslaved people with disabilities? At one point Barclay writes that as enslaved women lived and worked, they navigated many unusual circumstances and faced additional obstacles to provide care for children with disabilities. What were some of these obstacles? And what kinds of disabilities did enslaved children grow up with that were worsened by slavery? To help you get started, consider the following questions:
What kinds of physical impairments did children like Lizzie Davis grow up with as enslaved children that their mother had to care for? (p.121)
What kind of emotions do you think enslaved African American mothers would have felt while their children who had disabilities were cared for by white doctors? (p.123)
How did mothers care for children with visual impairments like blindness? (p.127)
What kinds of emotional trauma or disability did women experience as a result of being separated from their children? (p. 133)
What would you say is the big point Barclay is trying to make in her essay?
