Education Commons^™

Unapologetic! Leading In White Spaces: A Critical Race Grounded Theory Study About The Experiences Of Black Women College Presidents At Four-Year Predominantly White Institutions And Gendered Racisms’S Influence On Their Leadership Approach, Damita A. Davis

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

For higher education to be responsive to the changing national and student population, its leadership must be “reflective of the world around it, (which) will be key to managing the challenges of today and the unknown challenges of tomorrow” (American Council on Education, 2017, para. 4). Unfortunately, despite the increasing diversity of the student body, college presidents remain primarily white; therefore, maintaining a limited view of leadership. Centering the experiences of Black women as a “strength to build, develop, and perform leadership” (Lloyd-Jones, 2016, p. 66), and understanding their ways of knowing, is an important step for postsecondary education in …

The Role Of Mentorship In The Advancement Of Black Women In Higher Education Administrative Roles, Kimberly Colclough

Theses and Dissertations

Literature has suggested that mentorship is one of the most influential components of career advancement. However, for Black women in higher education administrative roles, mentorship also serves to garner community and support. This research study focuses on the lived experiences of Black women administrators in higher education institutions, the obstacles they face in pursuit of support and career advancement, and how they benefited from a relationship with a mentor. This descriptive phenomenological qualitative study was implemented by conducting in-depth interviews with a small sample of (6) six African American women administrators from various higher education institutions located in the Northeast, …

Black Panhellenic Sorority Member Experience At The University Of San Diego: Finding A Sense Of Belonging & Support, Kayla A. Wilkins

M.A. in Higher Education Leadership: Action Research Projects

The purpose of this Action Research project was to learn more about the experiences of Black current and alumni members of Panhellenic sororities. My study explored their experiences within Fraternity & Sorority Life (FSL) as a whole, as well as how they have navigated being in predominantly white spaces at the University of San Diego. One of the main problems discussed was how some chapters do not know what support looks like for Black identified members. Members completed a brief survey and participated in an individual interview and discussed their sorority experience at USD. During this project, I learned from …

A Different World: The Experiences Of Black Women At A Southern Predominantly White Institution, Latoya Stackhouse

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The present study investigated the lived experiences of Black women on a predominantly White institution (PWI) campus in the South as they relate to the core themes of Patricia Hill Collins’ Black Feminist Thought (BFT). The core themes of BFT that were the focus of the research were Self-Definition/Empowerment, Safe Space, Controlling Images, Invisibility/Sense of Belonging. Sista circle methodology was used as the form of inquiry with two 60-minute sessions over a two-month span. This methodology was chosen because its focus centers the lived narratives of Black women within a safe space unlike traditional focus groups. Findings from the sista …

Black Faces, White Spaces: Navigating A Women’S Center As Queer Black Women Leaders, Sara L. Blair-Medeiros, Cecily Nelson-Alford

The Vermont Connection

Many of the Women’s centers across the US came to life in response to the continued activism of students who held women identities and their allies. While the establishment of women’s centers changed life on college and university campuses for many who hold women identities, the racial and gender demographics of those occupying and utilizing resources and those in leadership has overwhelmingly been cis-gender and white. This does not come as a surprise, as the creation of many of these centers has historically been rooted in white feminist ideology; leaving out Black, Indigenous, Womxn of Color (BIWOC), Trans Womxn, and …

The Black Feminist Mixtape: A Collective Black Feminist Autoethnography Of Black Women's Existence In The Academy, Erica R. Wallace, J'Nai D. Adams, Carla Cadet Fullwood, Erica-Brittany Horhn, Camaron Loritts, Brandy S. Propst, Coretta Roseboro Walker

Journal of Critical Scholarship on Higher Education and Student Affairs

Seven Black women graduate students from across different functional areas of higher education work in solidarity to write a collective Black Feminist Autoethnography (BFA) (Griffin, 2012) about our experiences at our respective colleges and universities. BFA is a "theoretical and methodological means for Black female academics to critically narrate the pride and pain of Black womanhood" (Griffin, 2012, p. 1). This article centers Black feminist scholarship as a framework to reflexively interpret how we as seven Black women navigate within, against, and beyond the academy to address dominant narratives that affect our professional and personal experiences. We use contemporary music …

Voices Of African American Women In Computer Science: Implications For K-12 Stem Education And Beyond, Yolanda B. Sanders

Dissertations

Voices of African American Women in Computer Science is a qualitative dissertation about African American women who have successfully completed a computer science degree. This research explored how computer science education departments in predominantly White institutions (PWIs) contribute to the oppression of African American females. Critical race feminism (CRF) provides the platform that places the voices of women of color who have successfully obtained a computer science degree despite difficulties that have been imposed by the reality of racial biases that are present throughout the American education system and American culture at large. This research was guided by the following …

S.I.S. (Suffering In Silence): The Influence Of Educational Attainment On Black Women’S Health, Quiana Chakeena Jones

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative, narrative inquiry study was to explore the influence of educational attainment on Black women’s perceptions of their health. Empirical research indicates the causes of stress and other health concerns pertaining to Black women are often rooted in racism and discrimination. Within the literature, the barriers that many African American women face within the educational system on all levels are discussed. However, there are few studies that have specifically researched the connection between educational attainment regarding receiving bachelorette degrees or higher and how or if that has an influence on Black women’s health. As such, the …

Twenty Shades Of Black: A Phenomenological Study Of The Dating, Hooking Up, Belonging, And Thriving Experiences Of Black Women Students At Private, Predominantly White Institutions, Patricia Carver

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Capstones

This qualitative study explored and described the dating and hooking up experiences of 20 Black women students who attended private predominantly White institutions (PPWIs). Further, this study used a phenomenological approach to explore how the participants’ dating experiences influenced their thriving and sense of belonging, with particular interest in the intersections of their race and gender. Four frameworks were used to shape the study: Black feminist thought, intersectionality, sense of belonging, and the thriving concept. The following questions guided this study: (a) What are the dating experiences of Black women at PPWIs? (b) How do these experiences shape their perception …

Degrees Are Not Enough : Success And Challenges Of Black Women Pursuing College Degrees., Dequinten Shrez Glenn

LSU Master's Theses

Black women are succeeding highly across the country in Higher Education. According to the National Center for Education Statistics (2010) Black women received 66% of undergraduate degrees received by Black people in America in the 2007-2008 school year. This extreme success reflects their abilities to compete at the highest levels while attending institutions of higher education. Their success is not rewarded with job opportunities and equal wages which is reflected by their lack of representation in highly paid fields including science and medicine.

America has been organized and governed by systemic oppression of certain groups this oppression stems from a …

Anna Julia Cooper: A Quintessential Leader, Janice Y. Ferguson

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This study is a leadership biography which provides, through the lens of Black feminist thought, an alternative view and understanding of the leadership of Black women. Specifically, this analysis highlights ways in which Black women, frequently not identified by the dominant society as leaders, have and can become leaders. Lessons are drawn from the life of Anna Julia Cooper that provides new insights in leadership that heretofore were not evident. Additionally, this research offers provocative recommendations that provide a different perspective of what leadership is among Black women and how that kind of leadership can inform the canon of leadership. …