New research from NYU Applied Psychology highlights Black mothers’ policy priorities and political advocacy ahead of the 2024 election.
Associate Professor Lauren C. Mims, doctoral students Dulce Lopez Alvarez and Elisha Arnold (Developmental Psychology), and Whitney Cetoute (BS/MA) led a collaborative study centering the voices of 29 Black mothers in the lead-up to the 2024 U.S. presidential election. Published in the Journal of African American Studies, the study examines Black mothers’ policy priorities and explores “revolutionary mothering” as a form of political engagement and resistance.
Revolutionary mothering is a practice in which Black mothers resist oppression to envision and actualize a world where they and their children can thrive. It involves nurturing the lives of systemically oppressed children and maintaining a commitment to collective well-being while daring to declare joy in the face of despair.
This research underscores the vital role Black mothers play as political visionaries advocating for collective well-being and systemic change. While Black women are often described as the “backbone” of their political parties, the researchers note that their perspectives and recommendations for the nation are frequently underrepresented in empirical research.
Using reflexive thematic analysis of qualitative interviews with Black mothers living on the East Coast, the research team identified four key policy priorities participants hoped to see addressed by a presidential administration.
Participants emphasized the need to lower the cost of everyday living, particularly around inflation, affordable housing, and what many described as the ongoing “childcare crisis.” Mothers also called for universal healthcare policies, including greater attention to Black maternal mortality and reproductive freedom.
Education emerged as another major theme, with participants advocating for stronger public education systems regardless of zip code and relief from student loan debt. Some participants also emphasized the importance of global conflict resolution, including calls for a ceasefire in the Israel–Palestine conflict.
Black mothers are actively communicating, continuing to have hope, and advocating for their own and their children’s well-being. This is the revolutionary mothering we describe in the paper. Constantly faced with difficult choices, Black mothers continue to envision worlds where children are not only surviving but thriving.”
The study builds on scholarship surrounding “revolutionary mothering,” a framework that recognizes caregiving as both a political and community-centered act. Rather than framing Black mothers through deficit-based narratives, the researchers center participants’ expertise, advocacy, and ethic of care.
The findings also deepened the researchers’ understanding of the relationship between caregiving and civic engagement. According to Lopez Alvarez, participants demonstrated that political engagement extends beyond voting or attending public meetings. It is also reflected in how mothers imagine and advocate for better futures for their children and communities.
“Mothers didn’t just share discontent with affordability, but rather, they also called for change explicitly through closing the wealth gap or improving access to state and federal resources,” Lopez Alvarez explained. “That to me says a lot about our collective responsibility and commitment to this change.”
One participant reflected on the shared nature of these struggles, stating, “The moms all agree on one thing. Everybody wants something for childcare. It’s difficult for everybody.”
By documenting how systemic racism and widening wealth gaps create barriers to basic needs such as housing, healthcare, and education, the study offers insight into how Black mothers envision more equitable futures for their families and communities.
The researchers hope the work will inform future scholarship and contribute to policy conversations that more intentionally center the experiences and priorities of Black mothers. They emphasize that while individual caregiving and advocacy efforts are critical, meaningful progress also requires structural and institutional change, including policies that expand access to healthcare, education, childcare, and other resources that support Black families. These results collectively suggest that Black mothers are more than just a demographic impacted by legislation; they are sophisticated political strategists. Their experiences with caregiving labor give them a distinct and pressing perspective on the structural reforms society needs.
Read the full article here.
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