The jewels of the community: African American grandmothers raising their grandchildren-building hope, nurturing dreams and sustaining their legacy

Abstract

According to the United States Census Bureau (2010) increasing numbers of children in the U. S. are living with their grandparents, whom are responsible for their grandchildren's care and upbringing. Although this phenomenon cuts across social class and ethnic group lines, it appears to be common among African Americans (Caputo, 2001; Heywood and sands and Golberg, Glen 2000). A qualitative study was conducted, using counter-storytelling narrative inquiry to gather and interpret the data. The Black feminist perspective was used as a guiding theoretical framework for exploring the experiences of these African American grandmothers. The purpose of the study is to provide insight into the lived experiences of African American grandmothers who are raising their grandchildren. Data collection included individual conversational interviews with African American grandmothers. This study concluded overall, the grandmothers viewed their experience. These views were displayed through actions by some school personnel. The grandmothers shared recommendations that could be helpful to public school personnel as they interact with grandmothers who are caring for their grandchildren.