Black Boys' With and Without Disability Labels Perceptions of Successful Black Parenting Practices

• In Event: Toward Inclusive and Equitable Education: Disrupting Deficit-Based Positioning of Families and Students Labeled With Dis/abilities

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to challenge deficit-based understandings of Black parents of Black boys with and without disability labels. Specifically, I disrupt the notion that Black moms and dads are virtually absent in the scholastic lives of their Black sons and contribute little to Black boys’ academic success and resilience. I do this by foregrounding the voices of the individuals most qualified to address this topic: Black boys. I conducted a systematic review of literature regarding resilient middle school and high school Black boys in the United States. I analyzed this literature to uncover the ways Black boys described their parental support. This paper recognizes the capacity of Black boys and their parents and the value of Black parenting practices for Black boys.

Theoretical Framework

I drew from disability critical race theory (DisCrit) and cultural historical activity theory (CHAT) to position Black boys as knowledge generators and Black parents as critical agents in their sons’ lives. I used DisCrit to challenge racist and ableist ideas about the capabilities and cultural practices of Black parents and their sons. I used CHAT to acknowledge that Black boys and their parents are situated in an evolving sociocultural-historical context. I also employed CHAT to focus on the multiple mediating factors Black parents provided their sons and to underscore the dynamic nature of Black parenting practices.

Methods and Data Sources

I systematically reviewed 48 articles regarding resilient middle school and high school Black boys with and without disability labels. I analyzed these articles to reveal the ways Black boys described their parental support. I searched for articles published between 2011 and 2021. I selected an article for review if it (a) was conducted in the United States; (b) was a qualitative study; and (c) contained a research question and/or purpose statement that asked about factors supporting the resiliency, persistence, achievement, success or resistance of Black boys during the middle school or high school years; and/or the study centered on the middle school or high school experiences of Black boys described as resilient, persistent, resistant to oppression, and/or successful.

Results and Significance

I found that Black parents provided their sons with access to symbolic and material resources the boys needed to thrive. Symbolic factors are ideas and beliefs that the boys drew on to help navigate their circumstances (e.g., Black dads provided sons with knowledge about how to manage encounters with racism; Allen, 2016). Material factors are material resources that assisted Black boys on their educational journeys (e.g., Black moms relocated sons to safer neighborhoods to protect their sons’ lives; Richardson et al., 2014).
This work is significant as it adds to the growing body of literature celebrating Black parents and their child rearing practices. This work demonstrates that educational stakeholders have much to learn when they listen to Black boys and seek insight into Black parenting practices. Stakeholders may be able to utilize knowledge about Black parenting practices to improve the educational experiences of Black boys with and without disability labels.

Author

• William A Proffitt, The University of Kansas