Our Relationship, My Academia: Historical and Hegemonic Implications Imbuing Academically Successful African American Women from Single-mothered Families

Abstract

This qualitative study sought to describe college-enrolled African American daughters’ interpretation of their single mother’s personal characteristics, acts of parenting, and meaningful influence on their collegiate academic achievement. Other fundamental purposes included examining the influence race, gender, and class have on the mother-daughter experiences of these African American women. Four African American female Texas college undergraduate/graduate students described and interpreted their single mother’s parenting acts and its influence on their college academic success. Specifically, this study specifically utilized Narrative Analysis, as an applicable analysis method.

Findings indicate the single-mother offered verbal guidance, which permanently resonated with participants particularly in her mother’s absence. Moreover, each participant evidenced self-motivation, role-models, consistent discipline, and the use of their demographics (race, gender, and class) to undergird their potentiality rather than risk. Findings also substantiated a sister-brother dichotomy indicative of the mother “raising” her daughter while “loving her son.” These characterizations resulted in the following themes: (A) She’s in My Head; (B) Sister-Brother Dichotomy; (C) Helpful Disposition; (D) Self-Motivation & Role Models; (E) Discipline; (F) Race, Gender, and Class; and (G) Transitioned Inclination to Mold.