Mentors' Reflections on Developing a Culturally Responsive Mentoring Initiative for Urban African American Girls

• Published in: Black women, gender & families gender & families, 2011-09, Vol.5 (2), p.66-92
• Main Authors: Lindsay-Dennis, LaShawnda, Cummings, Lawanda, McClendon, Susan Crim
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescents; African American culture; African American studies; African Americans; Black communities; Black feminist theory; Curricula; Focus groups; Mentoring; Mentors
• ISSN: 1935-2743; 1944-6462
• DOI: 10.5406/blacwomegendfami.5.2.0066

Gender and culturally responsive mentoring and intervention programs are a critical means of addressing the challenges of African American girls. Yet we know little about how the needs of African American girls are considered in program development or implementation. The process of building and implementing an appropriate program for African American girls may yield improved understanding on how best to create spaces that effectively support this persistently vulnerable population. Given this, the study explores the program development and implementation thinking and experiences of African American adult female mentors who developed and implemented a culturally relevant intervention for African American girls. The current study was conducted at the conclusion of a three-week summer intervention program at an urban university in the southeastern region of the United States. The Ananse Aya Program included single-gender classes with culturally focused curriculum, instruction, and activities for urban African American female students. Directors of the program conducted focus group sessions with five African American female instructors about programmatic experiences, lessons learned, and recommendations. Analysis of the focus group transcripts yielded six emergent themes related to developing a culturally relevant mentoring initiative for urban African American girls: (1) pervasive problems that African American girls face, (2) an ethic of care, (3) shared cultural background of mentors and proteges, (4) shared lived experiences, (5) the "sisterfriend" and "othermother," and (6) the birthing of a collective voice. Themes highlighted in this study contribute to a culturally responsive mentoring paradigm that can help researchers and practitioners develop effective programs for urban African American girls.