“Kiss My Scars ‘Cause I Love What They Made”: Black Mothering as Resistance

• In Event: “America Has a Problem”: Sista Scholars’ Rebellion as Resilience

Abstract

Objectives
Research on the experiences of Black mothers with schools is scarce (Powell & Cole, 2021; Robinson & Werblow, 2012). Consequently, this study centers the stories of Black mothers as a way for their children to move beyond simply passing to “mattering, surviving, resisting, thriving, healing, imagining, freedom, love and joy” (Love, 2019, p. 2). I seek to honor the knowledge and dreams of Black mothers as a means of enriching the scholarship of parental involvement as a component of school improvement, particularly related to schools that serve predominantly Black students.
Theoretical Frameworks
Grounded in Black Feminist Thought (BFT; Collins, 2000; Evans-Winters, 2019) and Critical Race Theory (CRT; Ladson-Billings, 2013; Ladson-Billings & Tate, 1995), this study centers the onto-epistemologies of Black mothers as they envision an education for their children that moves beyond simply passing (Love, 2019). This conceptual framework acknowledges systemic racism, patriarchy, and antiblackness in the discussion of parental involvement in public schooling. These same factors also impact how Black parents engage in supporting their children’s education. Hence, centering the voices of Black mothers, I underscore the narratives of Black mothers who must navigate and resist institutional structures in schools that disproportionately fail Black students.
Methodology and Findings
This study focuses on four mothers whose children attend four public schools in Florida. Three of the schools have predominantly Black student bodies and two of the schools are in urban areas and the other two are in a largely rural community.
The methodological approach to this study is also guided by the frameworks for this study. Building on both Black feminist qualitative inquiry (Evans-Winters, 2019) and composite counterstorytelling (Cook, 2008; Cook & Dixson, 2013), I conceptualized Black feminist composite counterstory as a method to capture the experiences of the Black mothers in this study. The findings for this study are then presented as a composite counterstory punctuated with poetry, drawn for the participants own words. The story and poetry explores the participants onto-epistemological stances through the following (re)memberings: living in community, knowledge of public schooling, spiritual capital, advocating for others, race and gender socialization and futurism.
Throughout this research project I found it essential to remain in community with Black people and Black women more specifically. One way I did this was through meeting with my sista-scholars, fellow Black doctoral students who have become kin. My sistas reminded me and guided me to lean into Black cultural practices in producing and sharing the findings of this study. Their advice and guidance is what led me to share the mother’s experiences as stories, breaking free from traditional forms of presenting findings.

Significance of Study
This study uses a conceptual framework that centers Black Feminist Thought while also drawing upon Critical Race Theory ultimately, honoring Black mothers as “intellectual resources” (Jackson & Remillard, 2005, p.51). the analytical arguments derived from their stories offers insight into the experiences of Black mothers with public schools more broadly, which could serve to inform various educational stakeholders including school administrators, teachers, teacher educators and policy makers.

Author

• Tianna Dowie-Chin, University of Georgia