They Don’t Know Invisibility

News Hook: Mari Cohen from South Side Weekly interviews local author Karen Ford and her book "Thoughts of a Fried Chicken Watermelon Woman." Auburn Gresham native Karen Ford was in the midst of explaining her frustration with the fact that the same smattering of prominent black voices are always called upon to comment on issues affecting the black community—voices such as Rev. Jesse Jackson, Rev. Al Sharpton, Dr. Cornel West, all men and none, according to Ford, representative of her South Side community. Then, Ford paused: she was trying to think of a black woman whom the media might ask for comment instead, and she couldn’t conjure a single name. The closest she got was Beverly Daniel Tatum, the president of Spelman College, but Ford couldn’t remember Tatum’s name, only her title.

Local author Karen Ford seeks more voices to represent the black community.