"Black Mothering: Experiences of Black Mothers in Safety Conversations " by Theresa Libios

Date of Conferral

12-13-2024

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Counselor Education and Supervision

Advisor

Geneva Gray

Abstract

Black mothers raising Black sons in the United States face the immense challenge of preparing their Black sons for a society where police violence pose significant threats to their safety. The critical safety conversations, commonly referred to as "The Talk," highlight the need for culturally informed interventions to address the psychological toll on Black mothers. This study explored the lived experiences of Black mothers navigating these safety conversations, with the goal of fostering empathy and developing culturally competent mental health services. This qualitative hermeneutic phenomenological study, grounded in intersectionality theory, examined the interconnected influences of race, gender, and systemic oppression on Black mothers’ experiences. Research questions focused on how mothers navigated "The Talk" to prepare their sons for survival during police contact.The study involved in-depth interviews with six Black mothers, aged 36 to 54, raising sons between the ages of 6 and 19. Participants were recruited through purposive sampling, and data was analyzed using the six-step framework of interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). Findings revealed that "The Talk" served as both a survival strategy and a source of emotional strain, fundamentally reshaping mothers' and sons’ perceptions of themselves and society. Key themes included the necessity of vigilance, the emotional toll on mothers, and the evolving nature of these conversations in response to societal events. Implications for positive social change include equipping mental health professionals with cultural insights to offer empathetic support to Black mothers, fostering resilience, and advocating for systemic reforms to address racial disparities.

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