Othermothering to Foster Relationships of Change & Empowering Black Women to Lead

Abstract

The Black community's education landscape profoundly shifted during the Civil Rights Movement and desegregation. Rooted in Black American culture, education symbolized community, interconnection, and a source of Black pride. To safeguard these foundational elements of Black education, Black women actively pursued leadership roles in public education, utilizing othermothering as a transformative pedagogical approach for students and educators alike. Through the lens of personal experiences documented through interviews with mentor figures, this research explores the utilization of othermothering by a Black woman as a strategic leadership tool to nurture bonds with Black children and colleagues. Drawing upon the framework of Blackgirl autoethnography (Boylorn, 2016), this work examines how othermothering relationships contribute to cultural significance and propel the advancement of Black women in educational leadership within public school environments. The findings of this study challenge educators to reassess othermothering as a mechanism for safeguarding and promoting academic success and administrative leadership roles that reflect Black women lived experiences and cultural heritage. Consequently, this study enriches existing discourse on othermothering within educational contexts.