Narratives of Migrant Mothers: Exploitation, Transience, Education, and Resilience
Article Sidebar
Published:
Nov 17, 2017
Keywords:
Somali refugee families, family diversity, culturally diverse students
Main Article Content
Abstract
This narrative study provides new understanding about migrant farm worker families in Michigan. Mothers, in particular, are central to the family structure, providing continuity and stability in the migratory process. In 2016, we interviewed five migrant mothers working in Harbor County, Michigan. The women shared their struggles along with their hopes for the future. In this article, we focus our attention on the challenges faced by the women: family obligations, sexism, limited English proficiency, limited income, and work-related demands. In addition to their accounts of difficulties, the interviews also revealed the women’s great resilience and their belief in the power of education to change the future for their children. To conclude, we discuss the ways in which our schools and communities can support migrant students and their families.
Article Details
Section
Articles
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication, with the work one year after publication simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).