Mothering the Academy:

The Dual Invisibility of Mother-Scholars of Color

“…The narrative around mothering and professional spheres has always been one of “how to” balance motherhood, family, work, education, and so on. What I was seeking as a PhD student was the recognition and acceptance of my entangled truth, that of a mother-scholar of color, what Hernandez-Johnson et al (2019) term the mother-scholar overlap (MSO). The MSO is the belief that, “both identities are conjoined, empowering mother scholars of color (MSOC) and enriching academia and the spaces they inhabit” (Hernandez-Johnson et al, 2019, p. 129).…”

“…What I was seeking as a PhD student was the recognition and acceptance of my entangled truth, that of a mother-scholar of color, what Hernandez-Johnson et al (2019) term the mother-scholar overlap (MSO). The MSO is the belief that, “both identities are conjoined, empowering mother scholars of color (MSOC) and enriching academia and the spaces they inhabit” (Hernandez-Johnson et al, 2019, p. 129). Despite my attempts, like many MSOC, I continue to face dual-invisibility in my academic and personal life.…”

“…In this article, we refer to this phenomenon as dual invisibility . We were informed by “Mothering the Academy” by Monica Hernandez-Johnson et al (2019) and the use of personal stories of MSOC to construct meaning around their experiences as scholars and mothers. Thus, we found it appropriate to utilize a narrative framework to highlight the dual invisibility that three MSOC attending a doctorate program at an R1 postsecondary institution experience.…”