By: Yulissa Chavez-Tena & Holly Hansen
They say it takes a village to raise a child. In communities of color, specifically those with African roots where this phrase originates, it is this collectivistic mindset that frames the role for Other Mothers. Other Mothers are non-parents that raise a child and invest in their development and well-being (Collins, 2000). Black women have leaned on one another to redefine motherhood to combat oppressive systems and create cultural wealth (Collins, 2000). This Black feminist framework seeped into the higher education space with the creation of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and expansion of Black student enrollment (Sturdivant, 2024). As Black women took on faculty and staff roles, the role of the Other Mother came along with them, forming mentorship that often goes unpaid and undervalued (American College Personnel Association [ACPA], 2022). While highlighting the impact of the Other Mother on students, the need for professional mentorship among Women in Student Affairs is explored. This blog post calls Student Affairs professionals to action to value Other Mothers and reflect on their purpose.
In recent years, Other Mothers have been acknowledged for their contributions to students of color belonging and development, particularly at Predominantly White Institutions (PWI). Sturdivant’s (2024) dissertation specifically explored the three tenets of Other Mothers: Ethic of Care, cultural advancement, and institutional guardianship and its impact on Black female college students at PWIs. Other Mothers use intersectionality to personalize course work, avoid colorblindness, and increase belonging and graduation rates of marginalized students (Sturdivant, 2024). Additionally, it is important to note that Other Mothers as educational mentors does not mean they have to be women. Stewart & Brown (2019) share the successful process of self-authorship and identity social construction for a student who was guided by Other Mothers. The student’s mentors were Other Mothers because of the intentional care to identity development that aligned with cultural understandings (Stewart & Brown, 2019). What would it look like to bring this same care and cultural understanding to the professional realm?
While it may take a village to raise a child, we must also consider the village it takes to support professional staff and faculty in higher education, particularly when it comes to Other Mothers. Professional development models for Other Mothers are vital to recognize the unique challenges and obligations that Other Mothers face in higher education. One such anchor is mentorship. Mentorship can serve higher education and student affairs professionals in a variety of ways, including navigating adversity (Chance, 2022), advance careers (Smith & Crawford, 2007), and career satisfaction (Thomas et. al., 2015). Within mentorship for Black women serving as Other Mothers, it’s especially important to recognize the care and attention they give to their students, and give that same level of care and intentionality back to them. Cobb-Roberts et. al. (2017) reinforce the need for intentionality when it comes to mentoring Black women, as they found that literature suggests that the duality of race and gender and the need for cultural care are two major themes for Black women when it comes to mentorship. The level of cultural understanding that Other Mothers give to their students (Stewart & Brown, 2019) should be reciprocated back to these professionals.
Other Mothers need support, just as they support students, often beyond the scope of their position at their institutions (American College Personnel Association [ACPA], 2022). When supporting Other Mothers, it is vital to be culturally responsive and explore the intersectionality of identities. Supporting and advocating for our colleagues is more important now more than ever with threats to DEI. How will you support the Other Mothers around you? Do you mentor Other Mothers at your institution? What other professional development models might help Other Mothers in higher education?
References
American College Personnel Association [ACPA]. (2022). Report on 21st century employment in higher education. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Ij5YNqi5Nqiu-bSUmnDfqiYiOKlj3C2o/view
Chance, N. L. (2021). Resilient leadership: A phenomenological exploration into how black women in Higher Education Leadership Navigate Cultural Adversity. Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 62(1), 44–78. https://doi.org/10.1177/00221678211003000
Cobb-Roberts, D., Esnard, T., Unterreiner, A., Agosto, V., Karanxha, Z., Beck, M., & Wu, K. (2017). Race, Gender and Mentoring in Higher Education: A Metasynthesis. In The SAGE Handbook of Mentoring.
Collins, P.H. (2000). Black Feminist Thought: Knowledge, consciousness, and the politics of empowerment. (2nd ed.) Routledge.
Smith, D. T., & Crawford, K. (2007). Climbing the Ivory Tower: Recommendations for Mentoring African American Women in Higher Education. Race, Gender & Class, 14, 253–265.
Stewart, D.L. & Brown, S. (2019). Social constructions of identities. In E. S. Abes, S. R. Jones, and D-L Stewart (Eds.) Rethinking college student development theory using critical frameworks (pp. 110-125). Stylus.
Strudivant, K.K. (2014). Belonging through other mothering: Exploring the lived experiences of black female college students at predominantly white institutions (Publication No. 31482641) [Doctoral dissertation, Drexel University]. ProQuest Dissertations Publishing.
Thomas, D., Lunsford, L.G., and Rodrigues, H. (2015). Early career academic staff support: evaluating mentoring networks. Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management, 37(3), 320–9.
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