Mothering and Mother(work) in the Times of Black Lives Matter

Mothering and Mother(work) in the Times of Black Lives Matter is an edited collection that sprouted alongside the beginnings of the Black Lives Matter movement but seeks to root itself in the historic and ongoing fight against anti-Black, state-sanctioned violence. Utilizing research, personal narratives, poetry and art, this book explores the experience of mothering and ?motherwork? alongside these movements and efforts to protect and value Black life. Centering the voices of Black mothers, Black other mothers and Black birthing people, the collection also seeks to explore the just world that Black mothers hope to create for their futures and the futures of their families and communities.

Haile Eshe Cole has a B.A. in Sociology and African-American Studies and a M.A. and PhD in Cultural Anthropology from the University of Texas at Austin. Over the years, Haile has conducted research on alternatives to incarceration for mothers and their children in both Texas and New York as well as maternal and infant mortality for Black women. She has served on the faculty at a number of academic institutions teaching courses on reproductive health, film/media and various other social justice topics. Currently, she is an Assistant Professor at Central Connecticut State University. Shana Calixte Pitawanakwat lives on the unceded territory of the Anishinaabe peoples in northern Ontario, Canada. She is the Director of Health Equity at Ontario Health and has experience in the public health and mental health sectors. She has a Bachelor of Journalism from Carleton University and an M.A. and PhD (ABD) from York University. A former sessional lecturer at Thorneloe University, she focused on gender studies, embodied research, and mothering pedagogies. Following the university’s closure in 2021, she became an Honorary Fellow. With over 25 years of community leadership, Shana uses her lived experience to drive her work and has been recognized as one of Canadian Living Magazine’s 40 Women Change Makers. Luciane O. Rocha has a B.A. in Social Sciences from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and M.A. and PhD in Anthropology from the University of Texas at Austin. She specializes in African & African Diaspora Studies and Gender & Women’s Studies. Her PhD dissertation, titled ?Outraged Mothering: Black Women, Racial Violence and the Power of Emotions in Rio de Janeiro? African Diaspora,＂ examines the activism of mothers whose lives have been affected by violence in Brazil. Currently, she is an Assistant Professor and program coordinator for the Black Studies program at Kennesaw State University.