This post is a truncated version of a post from CoCo’s Culture Corner. For the full version go here.
In a recent interview with Uzo Abuba, the Emmy-Award winning actress from the Netflix series Orange is the New Black, for Vanity Fair, she was asked to what was it like to work with a large number of other female actresses of color. Her response recalled a recent conversation I had with a close friend about why the space this series has created is so important. The question that then emerged for me is “why can women-only spaces be nurtured, desired, and supported in a prison setting?”
Prior to beginning the discussion, please note, I am not, by any means, endorsing or encouraging the prison system as a place for members of marginalized communities to be relegated to for I take issue with the Prison Industrial Complex and the reasons for many Black and Brown people being incarcerated today. I want to explore the issue of the solidarity and empowerment created in these spaces due to the popularity of the series Orange is the New Black.
Some theories, in so many words, state that differences can lead to conflict. This may explain why tensions can heighten so quickly amongst people representing various ethnicities, religious affiliations, native regions of origin, and lifestyles.
The state of incarceration forces homogeneity. People are stripped of their ability to incorporate some of the daily rituals associated with identity that they would have had prior to being in prison. They must wear similar uniforms, share in the work load by having “chores” to complete (i.e., working in the kitchen, electric shop, laundry room, etc – I will never call what they do “work” because they are not paid a living wage for the amount of stuff that they do), eat the same food, and have next to no time alone (with the exception of solitary confinement which serves as a form of punishment). In some cases, they can wear makeup, style their hair per personal choice, and choose the “families” that they would belong to while being incarcerated. Even coming in with different physical markers and indicators of cultural and ethnic differences denoted by language, region of origin, hair texture, and skin complexion (yes, it is more complicated than that but for the purposes of the theory I’m proposing, I’m limiting it to this), they are stripped of basic ways of being individuals.
In a community where you are one in the same, there are moments people can come together in beautiful ways simply because they don’t have any other barriers preventing them from being able to understand and converse with one another. I will never forget that one episode of Orange is the New Black when all of the women were partaking in a dance-off. For that brief moment, there was laughter and camaraderie. In other instances, the women were able to rally around a specific cause, i.e., getting rid of “Pornstache.” This also makes me think about how much Daya’s “family” rallied around her to make sure that she was being taken care of during the first trimester of her pregnancy despite her not being able to speak Spanish – they still took her in regardless. Also, I’m thinking about how much these women can really “be” themselves! Not trying to conflate the two, but I can recall of the times when my parents let me host slumber parties and how much fun we had sitting around in our pajamas and being around young women just like ourselves. There is so much power that can be had during conversations with my friends today in the privacy of one another’s home! I believe that in order to empower a community, we need to find where we all connect and in many cases, we can only do that in a private space.
Orange is the New Black is revolutionary in so many ways! I’m glad that this series gave me an opportunity to really think about spaces for women’s empowerment! There’s not too many times where I can even think to talk about women from different circumstances coming together. Though is not an ideal situation nor is every time a moment of solidarity, Orange is the New Black has rendered a possibility, even if it is when women from marginalized communities are incarcerated. Sometimes, you have to exaggerate the reality to realize the potential.
Nicole M. Young is a recent graduate of UMass Amherst, receiving a Master of Arts in English this past May. She serves as the Assistant Director for Young Alumni and Constituent Programs for the Alumni Association.