Parenting as Political Acts of Love and Resistance

Abstract

Three motherscholars (Matias, 2011) utilize a co/autoethnography methodology to explore the inherent and necessary connection between mothering and political work. In doing so, they draw from their diverse experiences to explore whose parenting is seen as political, the intersection with formal schooling, and experiences with informal education towards political ends. They ground their conceptions of mothering in the work of Black feminist intellectuals like Angela Davis and bell hooks. This piece, written while navigating parenting, doctoral studies, and displacement caused by COVID-19, demonstrates how parenting can be an informal act curated by memories of the past, today's social and political climates, and the hopes for a better future. These authors explore the intersection of education, politics, and parenting through their lived experiences.