Literary Analysis of Black Female Literacy Teachers' Othermothering of Black Adolescent Girls in Young Adult Literature

• In Event: But Some of Us Are Brave: Existing as Mothers, Teachers, and Scholars

Abstract

This literary analysis highlights Black female literacy teacher educators’ othermothering Black adolescent girls depicted in two multicultural young adult texts: Push by Sapphire and The Skin I’m In by Sharon Flake. Black Feminist Thought (Othermothering) and Hip-hop Feminist Theory were the theoretical perspectives employed. Four tenets drove this analysis including Black girlhood, Ethic of Care, Cultural Advancement, and Institutional Guardianship. Critical Content Analysis was the analytical tool employed to interpret the data. Findings revealed that academic othermothers: (1) Center Black Adolescent Girls’ Individual and Collective Lived Experiences (2) Center Black and Femaleness in the Secondary Literacy Classroom (3) Disrupt Traditional Conceptions of Literacy Teaching and Learning in the Secondary Classroom to support the academic and socio-emotional needs of Black girls.

Author

• Delicia Tiera Greene, University at Albany - SUNY