A day after a nearly 40,000-signature petition pressured the Oxygen network to pull the plug on a reality show chronicling Shawty Lo and the 10 mothers of his 11 children, a supporter is rallying with a petition of her own, arguing that “All My Babies’ Mamas” should air because it’ll show a “father figure” setting an on-air example by taking care of his kids, rather than leaving 10 mothers to fend for their children on welfare.
Even richer: the “supporter” behind the petition is none other than Kali Bowyer, a publicist who, according to TMZ, has an extensive rap sheet and paternity stalked Chris Rock, claiming to any gossip rag that would listen that the comedian fathered her son—until a paternity test proved otherwise.
In a Change.org petition filled with more grammatical errors and half-points than a third-grade English report, Bowyer rides hard for her man: “Shawty Lo, is in fact a father figure that most young black men today coming from a similar past lifestyle and environment, should mimic in his parental role. With 11 children, which are all clothed, fed, housed and loved in everyway that a parent should love, protect and provide for their child. As well as being a supportive and active partner in the co-parenting of his children with their mothers,” she wrote. “Everyone has a past, especially in hip-hop, however how many take the reins and put their life in motion for change?”
Somewhere in there, I think—and I’m being really generous here—she tries to liken “All My Babies’ Mamas” to the stories of struggle relayed in classic hip hop by artists like Grandmaster Flash, Public Enemy and Run DMC, suggesting that the rapper responsible for the groundbreaking songs, “Dey Know” and “Laffy Taffy” is simply giving “poetic voice” to the struggles of black fathers. Bowyer sews up her petition in a neat little package, pointing out that shows on MTV, TLC and Oxygen “showcase polygamy, promiscuity, and alcoholism” by white people with multiple partners and children, and keeping “All My Babies’ Mamas” off the air is… wait for it… racist.
“So here’s the question, would you rather see 11 children struggle with mothers on welfare? Or watch a man support his children? Does it come down to the race card?” Bowyer asks.
This mess right here? This mess right chere? Made me roll my eyes so damn hard I thought they were going to get stuck at the top of my skull.
I mean, I get Bowyer’s passion for black fathers; I love me some black men, too (though I can say I’ve never had any confusion over or illusions about which black man is the father of my kids). And like her, I have absolutely no desire to see children struggling on welfare. I’d like to add that I also have absolutely no desire to see a spotlight shined on a black man so reckless with his body, the emotional well-being of his children, the hearts of women with whom he created life and the image of his community that he would rather splay his dysfunction across the airwaves than go somewhere and take care of his family honestly, sans exploitative cameras following his every move.
Have a stadium of seats, ma’am. For real.
And Oxygen: please don’t let this publicist’s tomfoolery get you confused: more than 37,000 people are ecstatic that you came to your senses and cancelled this mess, but also stand at the ready to bombard every last one of your advertisers with letters, emails and phone calls if “All My Babies’ Mamas” finds its way back onto TV.
RELATED POSTS:
1. Shawty Lo Must Go: An Open Letter To Oxygen Media CEO Jason Klarman
2. If We Let Shawty Lo’s Show Get on the Air, We Will Have Failed Ourselves
3. Oxygen Officially Cancels Shawty Lo’s Show; “Amen” to Power of the People
Denene Millner
Mom. NY Times bestselling author. Pop culture ninja. Unapologetic lover of shoes, bacon and babies. Nice with the verbs. Founder of the top black parenting website, MyBrownBaby.
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Whoop there it is! BRING IT! I wish OXYGEN WOULD even remotely consider putting that crap back on the air. They will have a fight of epic proportions on their hands. And this chick is STILL chasing a check! She couldn’t get one from Chris Rock so now she is trying to make a name for herself or maybe she just wants to get a little closer to Shawty Lo and copulate so she can populate some cash. Baby Mama number 12, 13, 14 perhaps? (I dunno, lost count) Yea, that’s it Denene. She needs some money and attention. Poor thing. The race to stay relevant is REAL!
And SHE is a lawyer? She cannot write for shit
I’m not mad at this petition. They have a right to respond. I was probably more irritated at the petition, to be honest. I think Bad Girls Club, Love & Hip Hop, and Basketball Wives are more toxic. I actually hoped this show might discourage girls from aiming to be baby mama #4, 8 or 12. I wonder why no one is asking for a boycott of the Oxygen network for even selecting to air this pilot in the first place. That seems to be a scarier idea, that no one laughed this pitch right out the door.
As Black people, we sometimes spend more energy fighting the way white America sees us than in improving our communities, to not be like “them”, (unmarried, poor, foolish… whatever else we assume of these women). Personally, I am over taking on another Black person’s choices as being definitive of how I am seen as a person. I refer to myself as a baby mama, I have a son with a man who has children by other women. I had his baby, I am my (brown) baby’s mama, and wouldn’t have been surprised to have a lot in common with some of the women on the show.
If a white woman has babies through a sperm bank, she is lauded as independent, strong, made a decision for herself. If a Black woman has a kid by a man who at least by some accounts provides for them, then she is a piece of trash. I don’t support Shawty, but I don’t fully get this backlash either.
I totally agree with you. The 37,000 people who want it off the air need to go into the community and do something to solve the problem. I can imagine many of them thinking that their work is done, but getting rid of a show does not get rid of the problem. We need to be the change we want to see. My mother, who was present for the March on Washington and had to drink from a colored only fountain had this to say, “it is a shame that we have gone from marching and actually doing things in the community to e-signing petitions”.
I kind of understand what you’re saying Angela, except that those 37,000 signatures DID accomplish something: it got a show that would have done an incredible amount of damage to our community kicked off Oxygen’s Spring line-up. I think it’s unfair to suggest that of the 37,000 people who signed, all are nothing more than e-activists who aren’t physically invested in helping our community. There are so many ways to affect change; petitions are but ONE of the tools, and I’m glad we collectively chose to use it.
“Have a stadium of seats, ma’am. For Real.”
That about sums it up. Done and done. Ugh.
I agree that RHWOA, LHHATL, and the others are toxic to the community, but here’s the real issue, this is what others see us as, ignorant baby mommas n baby daddys. I am not racist, I have many ethnic groups as friends and many black foes, however, she like everyone else that wants the mess back on is out of her mind. Yes she has free speech but my question is why would you want to see a man on television promoting promiscuity (because that’s how he got all of them) to his own children and ours??? I think that this new age of “reality television” is poison to the human race. When you go anywhere, the perception is just what is on TV. I spoke to a girl from Maryland here in Atlanta, and said I’m originally from Boston, MA she out right asked, there are black people there??? Really this is what people think because that is what is on television. I would like to see all the ignorance off television but hey I don’t have that type of money but someone does. Let’s do a reality show about my life, how I have a dad for my kids and he struggles everyday. The kids are clothed, homed and educated, but that’s not what is on TV. We are setting our own demise. We need to change our thinking, we are now the majority but we can’t get majority status because we keep allowing this mess to go on . DONE AND DONE WITH THIS BS SOOOO ANNOYED.
The truth about our society is that we are addicted to the drama of other people’s lives in order to run from our own. The reality TV phenom has provide so. No one watches Tia and Tamara. Although they have their issues, but they are calm and have less drama. Those shows do not make money. At the end of the day every TV station is about making money, generating revenue, obtaining sponsors. The more we discuss this the more we are marketing for Shawty Lo and the Oxygen channel. They are getting free publicity before the show is even aired. Even the infamous OWN, Oprah’s network has been subjected to this reality. The network was suppose to uplift people and be a positive source of entertainment. However, the shows that air daily on OWN are equivalent to Lifetime’s drama induced movies. For example, Who the (Bleep) Did I Marry?, 48 Hours: Hard Evidence, etc. These are shows that bring subtle drama and increases our dependency on wanting more drama. A show on how we as America’s can help Congress work effectively or how to value ourselves as human beings does not make enough revenue in our capitalistic society.
wow… 665 people want this show on the air
My people, my people
Shorty LO MUST GO!!!