“24/7, Teaching Moments All Day Long”: Black Mothers’ Racialized Compensatory Cultivation Amidst the Syndemic

• In Event: Community Knowledge: Learning Beyond School Spaces With and From Students, Parents and Families

Abstract

COVID-19 worsened structural inequities from racist systems, creating a dual pandemic for Black families (i.e., syndemic). Researchers predicted severe "learning loss" among Black students, implying schools are the only source of quality education. However, Black homes have always nurtured children's learning. This qualitative study explores how Black mothers engaged with their children's learning during the syndemic, using homeplaces and the Racialized Compensatory Cultivation framework. Reflexive thematic analysis of interviews with 12 Black mothers (children aged 1-15) revealed two themes: (1) constraints of online learning, and (2) compensatory strategies to personalize learning. Black mothers adapted their children's learning environments to ensure continued education and wellbeing, counteracting pandemic-era schooling limitations.

Authors

• Tessa Johanna McNaboe, New York University

• Elisha Arnold, New York University

• Addison Duane, Sacramento State University

• Marketa Burnett, University of Connecticut

• Lauren C. Mims, New York University