ObjectiveIn this study, we sought to gain insight into the challenges Latina immigrant mothers in rural Midwest communities encountered during the pandemic, strategies they employed to avoid infection of the virus, and impacts of the pandemic on family health and well‐being.BackgroundIn rural Midwestern communities, the pandemic disproportionately affected immigrants, many of whom are Latino and worked in meatpacking and food processing plants. Latina mothers are commonly viewed as caretakers of the family. This prescribed role placed mothers at the center of safeguarding their families' health during the pandemic.MethodIn this descriptive study, we conducted individual interviews with 124 Latina immigrant mothers across six rural Midwestern communities who participated in one of two previous studies in the communities. Thematic analyses was used to identify themes that aligned with three areas of interest: challenges experienced, strategies employed to avoid virus infection, and impacts of the pandemic on family health and well‐being.ResultsMothers enacted behaviors (e.g., sanitation practices, wore masks, stayed home) to lessen negative impacts of the pandemic on family health and well‐being. Factors beyond their control (e.g., public policies, work policies and practices) placed families at greater risk for poor health and well‐being. Eleven themes were identified that aligned with the three areas of interest.ConclusionFindings build upon and extend prior research that reexposed unjust employment conditions, inadequate health‐care systems, and an anti‐immigrant context during the pandemic that perpetuated health disparities among Latino immigrants and other minoritized populations.ImplicationsEthnographic and longitudinal studies that give voice to populations underrepresented in COVID‐19 research and at high risk for poor health are warranted to inform policies and practices to protect health during public health crises.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to understand the role that racial socialization plays in African American fathers' abilities to balance the responsibilities of being productive scholars and active parents and understand how racial socialization affects the perceived social support in the home and work environments. Background: Though there is research on the microaggressions and implicit bias that African American faculty face, there is little research that specifically details the experiences of those balancing both the father and faculty member roles. Method: Data were collected using semistructured interviews with 20 African American fathers who were employed as faculty members at various institutions in the United States. Additionally, I explored how the murders related to the #SayTheirName movement influenced conversations fathers had with their children related to racial socialization and anti-Black racism in the United States. Results: Participants noted that they experienced microaggressions in their academic environments. They were perceived as intimidating or characterized as the Angry Black Man. These perceptions were sources of mundane extreme environmental stress for participants. An emergent finding related to social support and work-life balance was that most study participants were members of Black Greek Letter Organizations (BGLOs) and found instrumental, informational, and emotional social support from these relationships. Conclusion: Racial socialization received in their upbringing was a source of self-efficacy for some participants. Additionally, perceived social support from the home and work environment was important for the participants' individual development, yet it was not the primary factor that influenced their work-life balance.