“We have a lot weighing on us:” a Black Feminist analysis of U.S. newspaper quotes of Black women in year 1 of the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

ABSTRACT This study examined Black women’s quotes in seven major U.S. newspapers during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Lexis Uni and a university news database were used to locate articles from March 1, 2020, to March 31, 2021. The study sought to determine what topics Black women’s quotes most focused on and what their quotes revealed about their pandemic experiences. In total, 300 quotes from Black women about the pandemic in 119 articles were identified. Media Framing theory and Black Feminist theory were used to analyze the quotes. The first round of analysis using Media Framing revealed that health and justice topics were the most prevalent in the women’s quotes. Additionally, the frames of morality, attribution, and Strong Black Woman were most frequently used. Expert women were the most common sources. The secondary analysis using Black Feminist Theory revealed that, in the pandemic’s first year, Black women’s experiences included: identifying interlocking systems of oppression, resisting interlocking systems of oppression through self-definition, self-valuation, and activism, and struggling with Black womanhood and motherhood. This analysis reveals that while the media is a gatekeeper, Black women can use the media to increase awareness of their experiences and advocate against disparities.