Rethinking Black Motherhood and Drug Addictions: Counternarratives of Black Family Resilience

Description

Rethinking Black Motherhood and Drug Addictions: Counternarratives of Black Family Resilience offers a unique perspective on the complexities of being a Black mother addicted to crack, powder cocaine, heroin, and crank. Qualitative interviews provide rich narratives from five Black mothers challenging negative controlled images and stereotypes of Black motherhood and drug addiction. Using Black Feminist Thought, Critical Race Feminism, and Resilience as conceptual frameworks, this book confronts hegemonic constructions of Black mothers and their children within the context of drug addictions. Particular attention is focused on using the mothers’ self-definitions of struggles and family resilience to dismantle the negative controlled images of the junkie and the crack ho’ and her crack baby. The mothers in this book speak truth to their experiences with motherhood and addictions to some of the most powerful street drugs that explicitly defy the junkie, crack ho’, and crack baby images. The book also addresses tensions existing within researcher-participant relationships and nuances unique to research with Black mothers in recovery. Personal lessons learned and challenges experienced during the research process are highlighted as Tivis shares dilemmas of self-reflections of positionality, accountability and use of language. Rethinking Black Motherhood and Drug Addictions contains important implications for research and practice in education and across other disciplines concentrating on mothers and children from racially diverse backgrounds. This book will be relevant for both undergraduate and graduate students and academics within these disciplines. Rethinking Black Motherhood and Drug Addictions will be of interest to advanced pre-service teachers and other disciplines engaging in clinical and professional practice with addiction and with families. Cover Contents Acknowledgments Permissions Introduction References Chapter 1: These People Are Suffering”: Help versus Incarceration Overview of Chapters References Chapter 2: Tools for Understanding Drug Addiction and Black Mothers’ Standpoint Different Way of Seeing Things Black feminist thought Critical race feminism (CRF) Black family resilience References Chapter 3: Origin of the Crack Ho’: Mammies, Jezebels, Controlled Images, and Prosecution of Addiction Research and Controlled Images Devaluation of Black motherhood Pathological conceptual frameworks Costs of Controlled Images of Black Motherhood Controlled images of Black mothers Controlled images, public opinion and policy Criminalization of Black Women Prosecution of pregnant women Criminalization of prenatal drug use Rethinking prosecution and prenatal drug use References Chapter 4: From Suga to Shit”: The Drug Business and Destruction of Black Communities Perfect Space for Heroin and Crack Industries Historical Context Heroin and Crack Heroin Crack Mothers and Detroit’s Crack Business Sharonda Bethena Detroit’s Crack Business Desirea and New York’s Heroin Business Mothers and Atlantic City’s Drug Business Ladonna Barbara Atlantic City’s Drug Business Continued Drug Use Trends References Chapter 5: More About the Mothers, Research Practice, Black Motherhood and Addiction Sista-Girl Conversations More about the Mothers Sharonda Bethena Ladonna Barbara Desirea The Settings Detroit They must have a lot of hurricanes here Atlantic City Blacks at the South Jersey Shore References Chapter 6: "I Had Help”: Kinship, Drug Addictions, and Black Family Resilience Kinship Networks Guardianship and Care of Grandchildren Other Family Kinships Fictive Kinships Black Males: Essential Resources Cost of Kinships Networks Discussion References Chapter 7: “Wasn’ no Junkie, I was a Workin’ Addict … It’s a Difference”: Self-Definition of Black Mothers’ Roles and Responsibilities Protection from Streets Healing Relationships Daily Routines Expressions of Warmth, Responsiveness, and Love Discipline References Chapter 8: Crack Baby Aftermath and Navigating Educational Institutions Construction of a Crack Baby Crack Baby Backlash: Labels and Stereotypes Black Mothers’ Perceptions and Academic Orientation Intentions, academic difference and hope Problems at school Mothers’ home school involvement Contributions to academic achievement What Does All of This Have to do With Education Now? References Chapter 9: I was Just Cryin’ Out to God”: Recovery and the Spirituality of Struggle Desirea and Barbara’s Take on Methadone “God Looks Out for Babies and Fools” Hearing and Listening to God’s Voice “Church and Cryin’ Out to God” References Discussion: What the Mothers Made Me Think About Power of the Crack Ho’ Rethinking Policy, Research and Maternal Drug Abuse American Dream and Chemical Genocide The Fake War on Drugs What They Taught Me References Contributor Bio—Dr. Laurence J. Parker Index