Othermothering: Moving Beyond Mass Media through Counterstories of Black Women Parenting in the Education of Black Children
Type of Presentation
Poster submission
Brief Description of Presentation
This session will use an othermothering standpoint (a form of communal child rearing) to create space for participants to gain understanding on holistic approaches to parent involvement. By using othermothering as a framework for creating effective partnerships, parent involvement shifts from western constructions of isolated parenting to a concept whereby multiple locations support students’ thriving in schools.
Abstract of Proposal
This proposal will use othermothering as a holistic approach to parental involvement to demonstrate how families, schools, and the community can use an Afrocentric standpoint on mothering to widen the scope of how we define involvement in schools. Patricia Hill Collins (2000) defines othermothers as “women who assist bloodmothers by sharing mothering responsibilities…” (p. 192). By using othermothering as a form of approaching parent involvement holistically, I do not imply that this process is limited to the black community. Using this approach is meant to open dialogue regarding the use of multiple groups’ experiences with parenting to redress western ideals regarding participation in schools.
Embracing a shift from discourse that recognizes parent involvement as support only from parents and family members for school-based functions, could reposition isolated parent support of schooling to a collective standpoint that shares the responsibility for supporting a child’s schooling within the home, school, and community. Shifting our focus from just the parent alone widens our gaze from conversely predominant ideals of parents’ roles for supporting student schooling to specific ideals of involvement, such as othermothering, that includes a holistic approach to participation whereby multiple locations are responsible for supporting student learning.
This poster presentation will help participants begin the dialogue needed to better understand their community’s demographics, identify strengths in their community, and build capacity for engagement that will mobilize their community.
Collins, P. H. (2000). Black feminist thought: Knowledge, consciousness, and the politics of empowerment. New York: Routledge.
Location
Coastal Georgia Center
Start Date
3-26-2016 12:50 PM
End Date
3-26-2016 2:20 PM
Recommended Citation
Anthony, Jacquelyn P., "Othermothering: Moving Beyond Mass Media through Counterstories of Black Women Parenting in the Education of Black Children" (2016). International Critical Media Literacy Conference. 16.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/criticalmedialiteracy/2016/2016/16
Othermothering: Moving Beyond Mass Media through Counterstories of Black Women Parenting in the Education of Black Children
Coastal Georgia Center
This proposal will use othermothering as a holistic approach to parental involvement to demonstrate how families, schools, and the community can use an Afrocentric standpoint on mothering to widen the scope of how we define involvement in schools. Patricia Hill Collins (2000) defines othermothers as “women who assist bloodmothers by sharing mothering responsibilities…” (p. 192). By using othermothering as a form of approaching parent involvement holistically, I do not imply that this process is limited to the black community. Using this approach is meant to open dialogue regarding the use of multiple groups’ experiences with parenting to redress western ideals regarding participation in schools.
Embracing a shift from discourse that recognizes parent involvement as support only from parents and family members for school-based functions, could reposition isolated parent support of schooling to a collective standpoint that shares the responsibility for supporting a child’s schooling within the home, school, and community. Shifting our focus from just the parent alone widens our gaze from conversely predominant ideals of parents’ roles for supporting student schooling to specific ideals of involvement, such as othermothering, that includes a holistic approach to participation whereby multiple locations are responsible for supporting student learning.
This poster presentation will help participants begin the dialogue needed to better understand their community’s demographics, identify strengths in their community, and build capacity for engagement that will mobilize their community.
Collins, P. H. (2000). Black feminist thought: Knowledge, consciousness, and the politics of empowerment. New York: Routledge.
