"A good mother got to fight for her kids": Maternal management strategies in a high-risk, African-American Neighborhood

This article critically examines a key tenet of research based on neighbor- hood effects models (resource, collective socialization, epidemic). This research, based primarily on macro-level demographic data, details the various ways in which inner-city neighborhoods compromise child develop- ment. Using recent qualitative data from low-income African-American mothers with young children and who live in a Chicago housing project, we explore how maternal parenting strategies promote the safety and positive development of children in a high-risk, low-resource neighbor- hood. Findings from in-depth interviews identify buffering strategies (moni- toring, cautionary warnings, danger management, chaperonage, confinement) and enhancing strategies (resource-brokering, in-home learn- ing strategies) that protect children from danger and promote positive social, cultural, and academic development. These data expand on nar- rowly formulated neighborhood effects theories, demonstrating the active role that mothers play in child well-being and growth.