Edema pulmonar

In chapter 2, I began a discussion on resistance and Black feminist epistemology, I extend that discussion here to exploring the complications inherent in the Black feminist stand point position. While each of the mothers in this study acknowledged that peer groups could be a source of support, they were also concerned that inappropriate friendships could be damaging. The girls’ in this study whose mothers were, African Caribbean Black British, indicated that their mothers’ took a number of approaches to managing their relations with friends. The data gathered from the two girls whose mothers were White British suggests that their experiences were similar to each other though rather different to the other girls. For the girls whose mothers were African Caribbean Black British, advice, as described below, reflected one way the mothers sought to influence their daughters’ selection of friends.

Maureen " too much friend and company will carry you down,” to Kimarie Paulette “choose your friends wisely," to Rakaya,

Andrea “not everyone who says they’re your friend, is your friend” to Natalie, The implications of the mothers’ advice around friendships are the notion that the choice of friends should be in keeping with parents' values and more importantly, should not divert them from the expectations that their mothers have set for them. Paulette’s advice

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to Rakaya, concerning the value of true friendships, can be viewed in the context monitoring friendships as discussed by Cooper (2007).

For Rakaya, in the past, her particular focus upon developing friendships with other African Caribbean girls had led her into trouble with school authorities. As a result of this Rakaya had restricted her friendships to girls from other racial minority groups, as well as boys in her class. This friendship restriction had the effect of separating Rakaya from what Paulette considered, bad influences.

Paulette You just can’t say can you. I mean it’s easier if you’re Indian innit. But they don’t like us do they, cos of Amin chucking em out and stuff like that (laughs). I mean they’ve got money and businesses and that. So if their kids leave school with nothing, it doesn’t matter, they’ve got their families to fall back on haven’t they. And like the Polish kids she’s friendly with, they’re still White even if they aren’t English, they can get by can’t they. She’s only got me and I’ve got nothing, no money nothing. It’s gonna be a struggle for her, like for me… (June 2010)

In this discussion, Paulette comments on her fears, that her daughter will share the same relative lack of success as herself. Paulette connects this lack of success to being African Caribbean Black British. African Caribbean Black British, in Paulette’s eyes, brings with it an automatic assumption of poverty and lack of success. In her considerations of the racial and economic hierarchies in Leicester, Paulette is suggesting that being African Caribbean Black British, rather than African Indian or White like Rakaya’s Polish contemporaries, can have detrimental impacts. Paulette’s laments that Rakaya’s Indian friends would be able to expect support from their families and this support would ensure their success. Paulette is further troubled by the idea that, Rakaya’s Polish friends can expect their Whiteness to provide them with access to privileges denied to African Caribbean Black British girls. However, despite their various privileges, Paulette’s note to Rakaya, suggests her need for caution when dealing with children from other racial groups. This need for caution is framed around their abilities to thrive in a context where her child would be relegated to expecting the same, unsatisfactory, life outcomes as herself.

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The notion of friendships and monitoring their daughters’ friendships choices, falling within the Black feminist mother work of educational advocacy, is continued by Andrea to Natalie. Andrea chose to move out of the inner city and at the time of the study lived in rented accommodation in an out of city, predominantly White middle-class suburb. This choice meant that her children were schooled largely isolated from the wider African Caribbean Black British communities in Leicester. Despite this apparent choice, Andrea retains a skeptical eye, a measure of distrust, of the racial groups with whom Natalie comes into contact. From the tenor of our conversation, I took Andre’s injunction to relate specifically to racial groups and friendships.

Andrea’s skepticism regarding Natalie’s friendship choices is captured by her phrase, “not everyone who says they’re your friend, is your friend.” In this Andrea is suggesting that Natalie explores what support her friendships offer. Natalie’s difficulties in her primary school were compounded by episodes of both bullying and isolation. Natalie sought to address these challenges by choosing friends from other year groups. However, once those girls had transferred to secondary school, Natalie was left isolated with no “best friends” to rely on. Andrea was concerned that the school friends Natalie subsequently chose, were not supportive of her daughter when she was bullied about her weight or bullied for being the lone African Caribbean girl in school where the majority of the pupils are White British. But she still chose to send her to an outer city school. Maureen, Kimarie’s mother, was at pains to encourage her daughter self-reliance, suggesting that Kimarie should, “choose her friends wisely.” In this Maureen is counselling her daughter to choose friends who can help her, enhance her chances of success, rather than present her with additional challenges to address. In our discussions, Maureen was concerned that Kimarie was becoming a little too vocal. In addition to suggesting that Kimarie’s increased assertiveness was the result of her changing hormones, Maureen also commented that she was afraid her daughter was becoming involved with girls who would lead her into trouble. Upon investigation, it emerged that the girls who Maureen was the most concerned about were the other African Caribbean Black British girls at school with whom her daughter came into contact. For Maureen,

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the context within which Kimarie should choose her friends wisely has to be viewed alongside her fear for her daughter’s survival and school success.

Maureen You know how it is, some of them girls have no behaviour. It’s all make- up, short skirts and boys. You see them in town, a head full of weave and a mouth full of attitude and she’s just fixated with them. They will drag her down. She has cousin and all kinds of family but no, she don’t want them, she’s looking at dem bad breed gyal like they have something for her. (April 2010 field notes).

In this extract, I suggest that Maureen is extending the notion of monitoring her daughter’s friendships from friendships with other racial groups to concern about other African Caribbean Black British girls. The “them girls” that Maureen spoke of were Kimarie’s African Caribbean Black British contemporaries. Maureen was particularly keen that her daughter should not be like the girls she describes. Her description of them having “no behaviour” suggests that the girls, do not know how to conduct themselves in public. Their lack of acceptable conduct is, in Maureen’s mind, exacerbated by their age inappropriate hair styles, their provocative clothing and sexualised interest in friendships with boys. The girls that Maureen describes closely reflect the societal view of African Caribbean Black British girls as discussed by Weekes (2005), where she argues that media representations of African Caribbean girls impact upon their views of themselves. These media driven images of African Caribbean Black British girls leave then no positive reflections of themselves. For Maureen, Kimarie’s safety could be assured if she would maintain friendships of which her mother approves, particularly with family members. For Maureen, Kimarie’s mum, June, Helen’s mum and Charmaine Tamisha’s mum. Their concerns for their daughters' same race friendships, coalesce around the issues of language and creolised Caribbean dialect.