1st Edition
Critical Perspectives on Black Women and College Success
In this comprehensive volume, research-based chapters examine the experiences that have shaped college life for Black undergraduate women, and invite readers to grapple with the current myths and definitions that are shaping the discourses surrounding them. Chapter authors ask valuable questions that are critical for advancing the participation and success of Black women in higher education settings and also provide actionable recommendations to enhance their educational success. Perspectives about Black undergraduate women from various facets of the higher education spectrum are included, sharing their experiences in academic and social settings, issues of identity, intersectionality, and the services and support systems that contribute to their success in college, and beyond. Presenting comprehensive, theoretically grounded, and thought-provoking scholarship, Critical Perspectives on Black Women and College Success is a definitive resource for scholarship and research on Black undergraduate women.
CONTENTS
Acknowledgments
Chapter 1: Critical Perspectives on Undergraduate Black Women
Lori D. Patton and Natasha N. Croom
Section 1: Historical and Generational Perspectives on Black Undergraduate Women
Chapter 2: Black Undergraduate Women’s Experiences of Race, Gender, and Class at Fisk and Howard Universities and Tuskegee Institute; 1923-1960
Linda M. Perkins
Chapter 3: (In)Visibility, Involvement, and Success: A Counter-Narrative of Black Women in Predominantly White Liberal Arts Colleges, 1945-1965
Dafina Lazarus Stewart
Chapter 4: Black Women’s Advice on the Role of Confidence in the Pursuit of a College Degree: Believe You Will Achieve
Rachelle Winkle-Wagner, Courtney L. Luedke, and Carmen McCallum
Section 2: Ruling Discourses and Identity Politics in the Lives of Black Undergraduate Women
Chapter 5: An Examination of Black Women As Students In College Films: Where My Girls At?
Saran Donahoo
Chapter 6: From Discourse to Practice: Making Discourses About Black Undergraduate Womyn Visible in Higher Education Journals and Student Affairs Practice
Kimberly D. Everett and Natasha N. Croom
Chapter 7: Articulation of Identity in Black Undergraduate Women: Influences, Interactions, and Intersections
Christa J. Porter
Chapter 8: The Experiences of Black Immigrant Women Transitioning Into College: Moving In and Moving Through
Kimberly A. Griffin, Chrystal A. George Mwangi, and Shawna M. Patterson
Section 3: Black Undergraduate Women, Respectability and Resistance on Campus
Chapter 9: Black Women Athletes and the Performance of Hyper-Femininity
Tomika Ferguson and James W. Satterfield, Jr.
Chapter 10: Hair, Racism, and Marginalization in the ‘Equality State’
Tracey Owens Patton
Chapter 11: Explorations of Respectability and Resistance in Constructions of Black Womanhood at HBCUS
Nadrea R. Njoku and Lori D. Patton
Chapter 12: Choosing Elites: Experiences of Working Class Black Undergraduate Women at an Ivy League University
Jennifer M. Johnson
Section 4: Socialization, Well-Being and Support for Black Undergraduate Women
Chapter 13: Investigating Historically Black College Women’s Racial-ethnic Socialization Experiences and Mental Health: Shades of Flourishing
Sha’Kema M. Blackmon and Laura D. Coyle
Chapter 14: Influence of Sociostructural Stressors on Mental Health and Academic Performance: Black Women’s College Experience
Roxanne A. Donovan and Nichole A. Guillory
Chapter 15: Supporting Students Who Struggle Successfully: Developing and Institutionalizing Support for Black Undergraduate Women
Mahauganee D. Shaw
About the Contributors
Biography
Lori D. Patton is Professor of Higher Education and Student Affairs at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, USA. Dr. Patton was the recipient of NASPA's 2020 George D. Kuh Award for Outstanding Contribution to Literature and/or Research Award.
Natasha N. Croom is Assistant Professor of Higher Education and Student Affairs at Clemson University, USA. Dr. Croom was the recipient of ASHE CEP’s 2021 Founders' Service Award.
"One cannot read these works without coming away with a renewed sense of appreciation, respect, and admiration of Black women’s fights for education as a tool of liberation. By removing the veil that has long covered the stories, struggles and strengths of Black women, this well researched volume is a comprehensive account of the journeys of Black women and higher education in the United States. An invaluable treasure trove of information."
--Tyrone Howard, Associate Dean for Equity and Inclusion and Professor of Education, UCLA
"Critical Perspectives on Black Women and College Success is smartly attentive to historical and contemporary contours of Black women’s possibilities and perils in college spaces where they are often misunderstood, mythologized, and maligned. This timely volume serves as an exemplar of the growing scholarly tradition that focuses on participation, success, and approaches that advance the unique and at times universal experiences of Black undergraduate women."
--James Earl Davis, Bernard C. Watson Endowed Chair in Urban Education and Professor of Higher Education and Educational Leadership, Temple University
