Activist Mothering and Community Work

Abstract

This chapter centers on the experiences of women who lived in low income urban communities when the community action programs were funded through the economic opportunity act of 1964, as part of president Lyndon B. Johnson’s Great society programs. The community workers lives’ were shaped by experiences of racism, sexism, and poverty. They learned to mother as activists fighting in their homes and communities against the debilitating and demoralizing effects of oppression. The conceptualization of activist mothering draws attention to the historically specific context in which many of the women interviewed developed their political analyses and strategies. Many of the resident community workers’ mothers provided, as one worker stated, a “strong foundation” for their desire to serve their community. All of the community workers with children mentioned the importance of other women in their lives who helped them negotiate the competing demands of unpaid and paid community work and parental responsibilities.