Formalizing Black Othermothering Practices in the Academy With Black Students at Predominantly White Institutions

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

Abstract

In my role as Black mother-educator, I have been a guardian, protector, and educator of Black students on predominantly white campuses since I began teaching over twenty years ago. The ways in which I was taught, guided, protected, and loved within Black communal spaces, whether at home, at church, at the beauty shop, or simply in the homes of the Black women who would babysit my sisters and I, were provided by many family and community members who shared their wisdom, love, caring, and nurturing ways with me. And so, when I embarked on my journey to become an educator, I understood how crucial and profound the implementation and experiences of these practices were to my ability to persevere and succeed within difficult circumstances. Accordingly, I knew that I had a mandate on my life as a Black mother-educator to support, nurture, care for, and encourage as many students as I could who were away from their families and home communities, and in great need of the love, support, wisdom, care, and encouragement God destined and taught me to provide. Thus, I have been an othermother-educator to every student God has sent me. And these experiences and the ways in which I have been able to use them serve as the grounding for this paper.

Thinking through both Museus’ (2014) and Gruiffrida’s (2005) discussions, the following questions emerge: within the context of the for-profit decision making and policies of most PWIs today—in which retention and graduation numbers are simplistically used as the measures of success regarding how best to support and educate Black students (and other students of color)—what are some ways to address these disparities using existing resources more wisely (as well as thinking through how best to obtain new resources) to move the very important work of supporting and nurturing our Black students from nonchalance, resignation, shoulder shrugs, and scholarly, theoretical discussions, to creating campus environments and interactions that can actually engage, support, encourage, and nurture Black students holistically?

This paper discusses ways to integrate othermothering practices into new or existing student programs. Othermothering can be used as a foundational practice to combat racially hostile campus environments and to provide the kind of “above and beyond” mentoring that Black students expect and benefit from. The goals of utilizing othermothering practices include better integration of Black students into PWIs, and the development of holistic mentoring relationships that provide the advising, support, and advocacy many Black students need. However, while faculty/student relationships are touted as the gold standard for providing this kind of interaction and support, many faculty mentors are not trained, rewarded, or willing to provide this level of mentoring to Black students. Thus, using my own positionality and experiences as a Black mother-educator, I provide an example of an Africana Studies undergraduate research scholarship program that includes faculty mentors, but also incorporates program mentors who use othermothering practices to provide holistic and sustained advising, support, guidance, and advocacy for Black students.

Author

• Ronda C. Henry Anthony, Indiana University - Purdue University at Indianapolis