MOTHERING STRATEGIES AMONG BLACK IMMIGRANTS IN THE UNITED STATES

Abstract

Most studies often treat Black mothers as a homogeneous group and do not account for the heterogeneity in this population. This is a challenge as it leads to assumptions about the parenting experiences of these mothers. The experiences of mothering that Black immigrant mothers have, has not been given a lot of recognition or attention in the literature. This dissertation, attempts to fill this gap in the literature. To this end, using data from 31 in-depth interviews, this dissertation explains the motherhood experiences of first-generation Black immigrant mothers. It investigates the experiences of Black immigrant mothers who are originally from or immigrated from the Caribbean region or African countries. Findings from this study show that Black immigrant mothers perform “blending work”, a process which involves fusing elements of the cultures of their countries of origin and elements of U.S culture, to produce a new culture which is unique to the Black immigrant experience. I call this new culture “blended culture. Findings from this study also show how Black immigrant mothers, take their place as social re-organizers, creating their own village or community to help them in the mothering experience. Black immigrant mothers go through the stages of three Rs (i.e., realization, resistance, and reorganization) in their efforts to build their village, through this process the Black Immigrant care grid emerges. Through this dissertation, I place and situate Black immigrant mothers as emotional and cultural laborers, who are involved in work that is often times, unrecognized, unseen and undervalued but that is extremely crucial for physical and cultural survival.