Tough Love: Young Urban Woman of Color as Public Pedagogues and Their Lessons on Race, Gender, and Sexuality

Abstract

Feminist scholars define rape culture as an environment that is conducive to the occurrence of rape, due to an acceptance of sexual objectification, double standards, strict adherence to traditional gender norms, and victim blaming. They argue rape culture as a definitive feature of US society. The structural forces of racism and classism, negatively impact urban areas, increasing the likelihood of violence. This includes the spectrum of sexual violence. While community centers are regarded as key social resources that help urban youth navigate the social landscape of violence, little has been said about how they respond to rape culture in particular. Employing ethnographic methods, this dissertation investigated a summer camp within a community center in the Bronx, and the everyday ways that five women of color (18-26) taught a public pedagogy of gender and sexuality. Nine weeks were spent observing women in the field; in a one year-follow up, additional interviews and observations were made outside the camp setting. Supplemental data were collected from women of color in various community centers in urban areas. This study found that given the othermother/othersister relationships that the women developed with their teen campers, they were able to detect sexual activity and trauma. In turn, they employed a public pedagogy, which offered lessons of `passive protection' and `active preparation.' This study offers implications for training and programming regarding the resistance of rape culture, and policy and legislation to regulate it within community centers.