School choice as ‘motherwork’: valuing African‐American women’s educational advocacy and resistance

Abstract

This study draws on in‐depth interview data to discuss the school choices and educational advocacy roles of 14 African‐American mothers. The narratives of the study’s participants, who have low‐income or working‐class status, show how race, class and gender factors influence their school choice‐making and their value of education. The author asserts that the mothers’ school choice‐making constitutes an important act of cultural resistance and empowerment called motherwork. Analysis of the study’s findings challenges conventional notions of parent involvement and counters prevalent stereotypes that portray African‐American mothers as uncaring. Attention is given to the inequities that the mothers face in the educational marketplace and how they seek agency. Educators are urged to consider how the mothers perceive themselves and construct their educational involvement roles in order to engage parents in empowering and meaningful ways.

Acknowledgements

The Spencer Foundation funded this study through a Dissertation Fellowship for Outstanding Research in Education. Special thanks are offered to members of the Urban Teacher Education Network (UTEN), which is part of the Institute for Democracy, Education and Access at the University of California, Los Angeles. Several UTEN members, who include faculty members at various US universities, provided helpful feedback on an early draft of this paper.