Armoring: Leaming to Withstand Racial Oppression

Abstract

This article explores the concept of psychological armor among African American women. Armor is a concept found in the psychological literature describing a selfprotection strategy against racism. Using narratives taken from life histories, we examine this process among African American women raised in two kinds of family systems: families of nurturance and support; and families of struggle and stress. Our analysis reveals that armoring is as much a coping mechanism against racism, as it is against sexism, and that a woman’s family class origin is a strong moderating factor.

Protecting Our Daughters: Intersection of Race, Class and Gender in African American Mothers’ Socialization of Their Daughters’ Heterosexuality

“…So, how do African American mothers teach their daughters to appreciate their identity as African American women in a society that is still struggling with issues of racism, sexism and classism? I contend, as do countless other scholars (Banks-Wallace and Parks 2001;Collins 1997;Edmondson Bell and Nkomo 1998;Greene 1990;Jones and Shorter-Gooden 2003), that African American mothers assume a defensive stance when socializing their daughters, as the socialization process serves a necessary protective function for African American girls.…”

“…Racial-sexual socialization was proposed by Greene (1990). Other scholars, such as Edmondson Bell and Nkomo (1998) have named this socialization process "armoring." According to Edmondson Bell and Nkomo (1998), armoring represents a critical element in African American girls' development.…”

“…Other scholars, such as Edmondson Bell and Nkomo (1998) have named this socialization process "armoring." According to Edmondson Bell and Nkomo (1998), armoring represents a critical element in African American girls' development. Because a mother's lived experience shapes her worldview and ultimately guides the socialization of her children, an appreciation for the multiple systems of oppression that African American girls and women face is inherent in armoring.…”

“…The armoring process of African American mothers has been identified as a critical factor in the healthy functioning of African American girls (Jones and Shorter-Gooden 2003). Qualitative researchers have begun to analyze this process through focus groups, in depth semi structured interviews, and life history narrations (Banks-Wallace and Parks 2001; Edmondson Bell and Nkomo 1998;Warren-Jeanpeire 2006). Based on these analyses, common themes are beginning to emerge to help shape the picture of the armoring process.…”

“Don’t Ever Forget Now, You’re a Black Man in America”: Intersections of Race, Class and Gender In Encounters with the Police

“…Bell et al (1998) discuss "armoring" as a process through which Black parents, especially mothers, socialize their children to survive and function in a racist culture. Others have called this process of instruction around racial identities and racist institutions, racial socialization (Greene 1992;Peters 1985); Greene (1990) and Hale-Benson (1986) refer to it as dualsocialization when referring to the ways that Black girls are taught to combat both racism and sexism.…”