Gather in my name, my skin, my everything… (“Gather in my Name”: Maya Angelou, 1974)

Abstract

Purpose

Based on a performance of a conversation between my white mother and myself – her mixed race black daughter – the purpose of this paper is to deconstruct the complexity of the intersection of migration, racism, sexism, disability, and class within the space and place of the dynamics of our relationship. “Migration” and “borders” metaphors explore the “in between space that is neither here nor there” addressing key issues such as “migratory subjectivity” or, in other words, the translation of the process of inclusion and exclusion across the borders of oppressive social constructions to the lived emotional experience of being a mother and a daughter.

Design/methodology/approach

I explore my lived experience as black woman raised by a white Mum. My decision to use intersectionality as a tool with which to explore my personal experiences was based on me finding it enabled me to fully engage with the freedom of exploration, without feeling the need to “fit” with what was expected, in other words to be free to be able to express the “[…] lived experience of a presumed ‘Other’ and to experience it viscerally” (Orbe and Boylorn, 2014, p. 15).

Findings

A truthful account to aid the understanding of the complexities faced in the lived experience of a white mother and her black daughter.

Research limitations/implications

This piece has no limitations, and contains far reaching implications for social work practice and research methods.

Practical implications

This piece is embedded in social education and can be used as a research tool for best practice in anti-racist, black feminist practice.

Social implications

Social implications include a potential impact on diverse communities, with relevance to community engagement, social work practice placements, and critical reflection, and also education of the young to help them understand their own journeys.

Originality/value

This is an original report of an evidence-based lived experience, integrating theory to practice.

Citation

Hesk, G. (2017), "Gather in my name, my skin, my everything… (“Gather in my Name”: Maya Angelou, 1974)", Qualitative Research Journal, Vol. 17 No. 3, pp. 188-201. https://doi.org/10.1108/QRJ-03-2017-0007