Labor of Love, Labor of Sickness: Black Women Faculty Othermothering Black Students at Predominantly White Institutions

• In Event: Broken Promises in Higher Education: The Hidden Costs of Diversity, Development, and Institutional Support

Abstract

This paper reports findings from phenomenological research exploring the experiences of Black women faculty who othermother Black students at predominantly White institutions (PWIs). Othermothering is a tradition originating from precolonial African family/kin networks where African women ensured the safety and healthy development of Black children who were not their own (Collins, 2002, Thompson, 1998). The purpose of this interrogation was to address major gaps in research on this phenomenon. Startling themes around care, caution, and sickness emerged. Findings indicate an urgent need to acknowledge gendered racism/intersectional violence towards Black women; to remedy and repair unequal labor in academic departments; to develop White faculty for enhanced engagement with Black students; and for mentoring and supporting Black women faculty

Author

• Yolanda Wilson Clarke, SUNY at Cortland