Surviving against Insurmountable Odds: African-American Mothers and Their Gang-Affiliated Daughters

• Published in: Humanity & society Vol. 23; no. 2; pp. 102 - 124
• Main Author: Brown, William B.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01.05.1999; Association for Humanist Sociology
• Subjects: Criminal sociology. Police. Delinquency. Deviance. Suicide; Detroit, Michigan; Females; Gangs; Mothers; Parent Child Relations; Parental Influence; Sociology; Sociology of law and criminology; United States Of America; Juvenile Delinquency; Quarter; Detroit; Afro-American; Poverty; Violence; Criminality; Daughter; Survival; Living conditions; Gang; Mother; Education; Racism; Single Parent Family
• ISSN: 0160-5976; 2372-9708
• DOI: 10.1177/016059769902300202

The influence of mother-daughter relationships on African American female gang member activities in Detroit, MI, is investigated. A historical overview of factors that prompted the emergence & spread of racism in 20th-century Detroit is provided. Individual & group interviews with 20+ female gang members & their mothers reveal similarities between the group of gang-affiliated daughters & four characteristics shared by all participants' mothers. Qualitative data analysis indicated that daughters generally did not tell their mothers of their illegal activities; daughters' behavior in the gangs was strongly influenced by mothers' experiences with raising a family; daughters associated gang affiliation with family affiliation; both daughters & mothers unfavorably described the community in which they lived; although mothers regarded educational achievement highly, daughters perceived education in limited terms or as another scenario in which survival skills dictated behavior. After criticizing the state for failing to address discrepancies in family background, it is concluded that humanizing movements must focus on changing discriminatory social structures. 60 References. Adapted from the source document.