Racism-Related Vigilance Among Older Black Mothers during the 2020 Racial Uprising: A Phenomenological Study

Background/Purpose

This study examines racism-related vigilance—a chronic stressor with documented health effects—among older Black mothers during the 2020 racial uprisings. While research has explored racism's impact broadly, minimal attention has focused on older Black mothers of adult children, despite their unique vulnerability to vicarious discrimination. This research addresses critical gaps in understanding how intersecting identities of race, gender, and motherhood shape vigilance experiences, aligning with the conference themes of disseminating evidence that can advance racial and social justice among marginalized populations.

Methods

Using a phenomenological approach, we conducted in-depth semi-structured interviews with 24 Black mothers aged 46-71 from a large urban Midwestern city. Interviews explored participants' reactions to the 2020 racial unrest, with particular attention to experiences of racism-related vigilance. Data were analyzed using descriptive and thematic analysis to identify patterns within and across participants' lived experiences that could inform both practice and policy interventions.

Findings

Our analysis revealed that the 2020 racial uprising intensified experiences of racism-related vigilance among older Black mothers through two distinct subthemes: (1) gendered racism-related vigilance, uniquely shaped by participants' intersecting identities as women and mothers of adult Black children, and (2) mind-body distress, characterized by physical manifestations including disrupted sleep and heightened stress responses. Participants described ongoing concern for their adult children's safety in the context of racism, demonstrating that maternal vigilance continues well beyond children's adolescence, creating lifelong stress exposure with cumulative health implications.

Conclusion/Implications

This study provides critical insights into racism-related vigilance among older Black mothers, revealing how this phenomenon is experienced as deeply gendered and embodied. These findings directly support the conference theme by illuminating how social work science can inform both practice and policy interventions to lead efforts (across health-related disciplines) to improve the health and wellbeing of marginalized women. For practice, results highlight the need for culturally responsive interventions addressing both psychological and physiological impacts of racism-related vigilance. For policy, findings underscore the necessity of structural interventions addressing systemic racism while increasing access to holistic healing approaches and care. By documenting the lived experiences of older Black mothers, this research bridges science and practice by providing evidence-based insights that can transform how social workers engage with communities experiencing racial trauma and develop interventions that acknowledge the intersectional nature of racism-related vigilance and its impact on health disparities across the lifespan.