An All-American Apocalypse: Exposing The Traumas, Truths, and Dreams of a Black “Nuclear” Family During COVID-19

Abstract

This ethnographic study unpacks the varied meanings and manifestations of the “nuclear” within a black nuclear family unit. Throughout, I reflect on literature on medical racism and post-traumatic stress, nuclear remediation, and varying theories of futurism to explore how such frameworks can inform reactions to dystopian disruptions and the unstable times that follow, and intermediate complex sociopolitical realities. First, I explore the pre-existing context of exposure and care within my family. Next, this study examines the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and interrogates the contemporary meaning of the nuclear family. Lastly, I analyze the cultural significance of dreaming using creative anthropological methodologies to interpret the imaginative experiences of the black nuclear family (dreams, nightmares, thoughts, beliefs, etc.). The conclusion of this study explores reparatory and Afrofuturist approaches, which excavate the hidden histories of medical racism and toxic colonialism.