Fear of a Black Planet: Under the Republican Push for Welfare Cuts, Racism Boils

"Never tell anyone," my mother hissed, "that we're on welfare!" I sputtered, "Okay." She let go, angrily. People shuffled to the window where a tired man scanned their papers. That was 1982. Passing a poster of President Reagan, she shot him the middle finger. Later I realized, he rose to power by branding women like her "welfare queens."  Read more.