Becoming Mama K: Accepting the Responsibility of Protecting Black Children in Higher Education Institutions

• In Event: Black Mother Educators as Protectors of Black Students in Higher Education

Abstract

In this paper, I reflect on how I grew to love “all my children” on campus and more specifically, how I became “Mama K” – a Black mom student affairs professional. Undergirding my reflective approach is Black Feminist Thought (BFT). “The overarching purpose of U.S. Black feminist thought is also to resist oppression, both its practices and the ideas that justify it” (Collins, 2000, p. 25). To do so, Collins (2000) provides a framework that allows Black women to be at the center while examining the core themes of work, family, sexual politics, motherhood, and political activism from a Black woman’s standpoint. Being able to foreground my personal narrative at the intersection of these roles is paramount and consistent with the tenants of Black Feminist Thought. BFT provides me with the freedom to articulate my own standpoint on motherhood in relation to my professional career. In a field driven by a variety of restrictive theoretical approaches applicable to Black individuals, using the BFT framework to explore my lived experiences centers my voice along with the experiences of the Black students with whom I have interacted. All without the rigid boundaries of the theory that dominates higher education research but does not capture the essence of my experience as a Black mother in the field. Within the BFT framework, most significant to my standpoint as a Black mother in higher education are the ethics of caring and concept of othermothering.

As my campus role evolved, advocacy for Black students became a critical part of my role particularly in spaces where there was no diverse representation. I was able to center the voices of Black students by sharing the truths behind the data in campus meetings and offer realistic responses to challenges. This maternal advocacy in the academy (Bernard et. al, 2012) became a driving force behind implementing institutional change. This would not have been possible had I resisted walking in my purpose of being “Mama K.” My acceptance of being an othermother on campus was natural and is what has contributed so much growth and positivity in my personal and professional life. However, my success did not come without sacrifices including feeling guilty for giving so my much of my time and attention to children that I did not birth.

Black woman, mom, and student affairs professional are all interwoven roles that I proudly embrace. This paper illuminates my journey to becoming “Mama K” an othermother to Black college students while simultaneously raising my own daughters. As I evolved personally and professionally, the mothering characteristics of being a coverer, waymaker, nurturer, protector and corrector defined and shaped my life on and off campus. These characteristics guided my work with students who were navigating a predominantly white institution and contributed to the development of holistic support programs. Accepting the responsibility to protect Black children in college did not come without challenges and sacrifices, but just as parenting, the rewards outweigh them all.

Author

• Khalilah A. Shabazz, Butler University