Characterizations, Stigmas, and Stereotypes: The Psychosocial Impact of Racism on Undergraduate Black Women's STEM Identity and Persistence

• In Event: 64.086 - MTCC Roundtable Session 27
  In Roundtable Session: 64.086-13 - Black in (and) STEM: Narratives of Resistance and Social-Psychological Outcomes

Abstract

Research specific to Black feminism, womanism, and intersectionality highlight the unique experience of Black women in their various academic, social, and personal endeavors (Crenshaw, 1989; 1991; hooks, 1981). As it pertains to Black women’s identity, researchers highlight the psychological and social implications of the various identities, stereotypes, and stigmas adopted by and imposed on Black women due to their positioning at the bottom of the social hierarchy (Harris-Perry, 2011; hooks, 1995). Specific identities embraced by Black women as a response to the social inequities they experience include the concept of the “Strong Black Woman,” where their strength and motivation stem from their desire to address the needs of others in a self-sacrificial manner (Harris-Perry, 2011; Patton & McClure, 2009). Although this particular identity brings about specific positive attributes related to the experiences and engagement of Black women, Black feminist scholars highlight the negative psychosocial impacts of this identity as well as other adopted or imposed identities on Black women’s sense of self and engagements (Harris-Lacewell, 2001; West, 1995).
Within STEM fields, researchers explore Black women’s presence and engagement in STEM; attending to the outcome and impact of various factors like resources, representation, pedagogy, and culture on their STEM choices and experiences (Brickhouse & Potter, 2001; Johnson, 2007; Ong, 2005; Ong, Smith, & Ko, 2018). Black women are reported to be marginalized within these STEM spaces as a result of their intersectional race and gender identity given the hegemonic, white-male, middle-class culture of STEM and STEM education (Barton, Kang, Tan, O’Neill, Bautista-Guerra, & Brecklin, 2013; Brickhouse et al., 2000; Carlone, 2004; Parsons, 1997; Tan et al., 2013). Black women, therefore, persist in order to successfully navigate their STEM experiences (Charleston et al., 2014; Johnson et al., 2011; Ong et al., 2011), where their persistence is characterized by their interpretation and understanding of the contextual affordances and constraints present (Barton et al., 2013; Espinosa, 2011; Tan et al., 2013).
Given the implications of a “Strong Black Woman” identity (e.g., Harris-Perry, 2011) and the abundance of research articulating persistence as a key factor in Black women’s STEM experience, using Critical Race Theory, this study aims to:
1. Uncover the presence of a “Strong Black Woman” identity among undergraduate Black women in STEM;
2. Identify factors that contribute to the “Strong Black Woman” narrative; and,
3. Disclose implications for maintaining said identity.
Interview and journal prompt data were obtained and coded using deductive and inductive processes from 10 Black women attending either a Historic Black College and University or Predominantly White Institution. Findings demonstrate a “Strong Black Woman” identity as described by the participants through their experience in STEM spaces, their recognition of the larger social-cultural dynamics of their race and gender identity, and the presence of Black women role models in STEM-related fields. Implications indicate essentialized identity performances for Black women that align with the CRT constructs of racial realism (Bell, 1992a) and interest convergence (Bell, 1980).

Author

• Terrell Roderick Morton, University of Missouri - Columbia