Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Anger Matters: Black Female Student Alienation At Predominantly White Institutions, Shandria Robertson, Lauren Dundes

Race and Pedagogy Journal: Teaching and Learning for Justice

Black female college students at predominantly white institutions commonly experience substantial alienation that impedes their social integration and sense of wellbeing. To probe the source of their isolation, we examine whether race and gender predict reactions to one of the most contentious contemporary social issues: police shootings of unarmed Black individuals. A random sample of 238 Black and white students surveyed at a small private liberal arts Mid-Atlantic college revealed that significantly more Black women felt very angry, depressed, vulnerable and distrustful of police compared to white males and females as well as Black males. We explore factors that could …