Placemaking Among Black Students in a Virtual Faith-Affirming Community

• In Event: Understanding Challenges Faced by Black Students Within Higher Education Settings

Abstract

Guided by Black placemaking (Hunter et al., 2016), the purpose of this case study is to explore the ways in which Black graduate students construct and sustain a virtual faith-affirming community. One primary research question guided this investigation: what are the factors that inform how Black graduate students construct and sustain a virtual faith-affirming community?Drawing on participant-observation as a form of data collection, three core findings emerged from our data analytic process. They include: embodied joy and relationality; horizontal (servant) leadership; and centering vulnerable storytelling.

Authors

• Christopher S. Travers, University of Maryland

• Ashley Hicks, The Ohio State University