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80 who is a first - generation college student ? Conclusions and Implications for Practice This qualitative inquiry of three African American single parents, combined with empirical research from higher education access/equity and college- choice theorists, helps us understand the educational experiences of urban, low-income, African American single mothers to help us build better inter- vention for the African American single mothers of today. This informa- tion could also be used to shed light on how low-income parents of other groups of low-SES, marginalized people appreciate the value of education in creating better life outcomes for their children. Most importantly the experi- ences of the three women of this study should inform the kind of outreach that would be most effective in converting educational aspirations from high school diplomas to college degrees, preferably a 4-year degree but inclusive of a 2-year associate degree. Essentially, the findings support the notion that these parents want their children to succeed but need assistance with making college a desirable postsecondary option for their children. So how is this accomplished in an environment generally hostile to the condition of low-income African Americans? How can we prioritize college participation rates for impoverished or working, poor Black families when the top 1% of the wealthiest American citizens make 26.3 times as much income as a family in the bottom 99% (Sommeiller & Price, 2008)? In this era of expanding economic inequality where low-income Americans of all descriptions struggle to find living-wage opportunities, what approaches will effectively encourage hope for a better future for their children, but also con- vince our lowest income families that college is “worth it” in the face of a seemingly nationwide campaign to the contrary? How do we assert that we as a higher education community will be their allies against the “America First,” “MAGA,” “anti-immigration,” and “anti-Black” national mood where affirmative action and other outreach tools are seen as an arm of “liberal elites” and evidence of “reverse discrimination” against Whites and some Asian Americans (Taylor, 2018)? I have argued in the past that there are four steps that the academy can take to embrace a paradigm more inclusive to low-SES African American parents and their children (Smith, 2008). First, I still believe that through aggressive, unified, and consistent intervention efforts the higher educa- tion community can help first-generation, low-SES African American students and their parents be involved in the college choice process in ways that acknowledge the variety of barriers (structural, race, class, finan- cial) that prevent them from full involvement/participation while making every effort to help them negotiate these barriers. Second, once created, all interventions must begin with the assumption that these parents want to