Imani All Mine by Connie Porter: Poverty's Effect on One Girl's Life

In the novel "Imani All Mine" by Connie Porter we meet 15 year old Tasha Dawson who faces the challenges of not only being a teenage mother but also being black, female, and poor. Throughout the novel we see the effect these traits have on her life. We follow her through the birth of her baby, high school, relationships, and home life. Specifically, we see her struggle with the rape which results in her pregnancy and the death of her child from gang violence. However, in the end we come to find that all these trials and tribulations are simply a part of growing up in an impoverished culture. We can see this through three factors: welfare, single parenthood, and crime. The common thread of these three factors is how they contribute the powerlessness people in poverty feel.

From very early on in the novel it is made clear that Tasha and her mother are in the welfare system. Tasha's mother is often said to have left food stamps for Tasha to eat when her mother is out. This characteristic of the Dawson household evokes many stereotypes that society has about the welfare household. Often the heads of household in these situations are portrayed as lazy and manipulative. Though Tasha is also a welfare mother, she possesses a drive to succeed and become a nurse, while her mother falls right into the stereotypes of welfare moms. She refuses to get a job and at one point claims Imani as her own simply to get more welfare money.

In chapter 8, Tasha becomes furious with her mother when she finds out she used Imani in this manner. When Tasha suggests her mother get a job her mother recounts the reason why she dropped out of school. "I can't even read...I was sick and tired of feeling stupid every goddamn day of my life. Feeling like I failed." (Porter 139-140). This quotation illustrates why such stereotypes of the welfare mother can be true, but one must look to the causes.

When one grows up in poverty, one may feel powerless to change their circumstances. In addition, impoverished neighborhoods commonly have under funded and less than satisfactory schools. These factors combined to create a feeling of powerlessness in Tasha's mother. Because she did not graduate high school and she can not read due to poor schooling, she may have felt powerless to change her life through a career. Therefore, though society may label those on welfare as lazy, it is only because of their poverty that they feel they can not achieve.

The second aspect of poverty that is highlighted in the novel is single parenthood. In the novel, both Tasha and her mother are single parents. However, Tasha seems to be another breed of single parent. Despite the fact that she did not ask for or expect her child, she seems to have a stronger, more loving bond with Imani than her own mother has with her. In addition, Imani seems to have given her more motivation to achieve in order to create a better life for Imani than she had herself. In contrast, Tasha's mother seems detached from her daughter's life. Though we do not know much about their relationship before Imani's birth, it seems as if Tasha's mother resents having to raise her without a husband.

She often speaks of how Tasha's father is dead. Tasha gets the feeling that they were in love when her mother conceived. However, Tasha who was raped does not resent her child. Yet Tasha's mother resents Tasha because she feels she was a hindrance on her accomplishments and social life. This highlights the issue of poverty because single parent households occur more frequently in low-income households. Furthermore, because children cost money that poor, single mothers do not have to begin with, it is safe to assume that some single mothers might grow to resent their children. Again this emphasizes the powerlessness of being poor because money equals power.

Finally the issue of crime in regards to poverty must be addressed. Two instances of crime occur in this novel. The first instance is Tasha's rape. This goes back to the issue of the poor feeling powerless. It is a common misconception that rape is about sex, however it is truly about power. Since the boy who raped Tasha went to her school, we can assume that he also lived in a poor neighborhood in Buffalo. Therefore, he too may have felt powerless. In an area where everyone is poor, how does one dispel that feeling of powerlessness? One solution would be to take advantage of someone with less power than yourself. As a woman, Tasha automatically had less power both physically and socially. At one point during the rape the boy says to Tasha, "Ain't nobody going to believe your dumb ass no way." (Porter 52-53). Not only could this boy claim power by physically overpowering her; he knew she wouldn't be believed, if she even felt powerful enough to tell.

The second instance of violence cause by poverty occurs when Imani is shot. The bullets were not intended for Imani or even Tasha's household; they were meant for June Bug, the son of Tasha's mother's friend. Throughout the book we are told that sells drugs so that he can avoid looking impoverished. For years, Tasha's mother had been selling her food stamps to June Bug's mother, Mrs. Odetta. This allowed Mrs. Odetta to buy inexpensive food and spend the rest of her money on nice things for her son. When he got older, he found that selling drugs could keep him in this lifestyle he was used to. Too often, those in poverty refused to admit to being poor and try to hide it with fancy clothes and cars instead of spending their money on things that would increase their quality of life in the long run like housing and education. This often leads to illegal ways of making money fast and easy, like selling drugs and being involved in gangs. If it were not for the impoverished neighborhood Tasha lived in, it is obvious that her child would still be alive at the end of the novel.

This novel brings the issue of poverty and its effects on everyday life to light. Through welfare, single parenthood, and crime we have seen how powerlessness and poverty go hand in hand, especially in the story of Tasha Dawson. Perhaps Tasha's story can be used as a catalyst for social change on a small scale, encourage people to dispel stereotypes, and facilitate understanding.