The Triple Threat: An Analysis of Financial, Racial, and Mental Health Barriers

• In Event: Black Women's Post Secondary Educational Futures: Imagining New Possibilities Through A Living Digital Archive

Abstract

Using a living digital archive capturing Black women's educational experiences, this analysis examines how structural inequities persist in higher education despite Black women's strong commitment to college education (Patton & Croom, 2017), identifying three critical findings that reveal both obstacles and intervention opportunities. Through a semi-structured Zoom interviews with Black women from diverse educational backgrounds—including 2- and 4-year colleges, HBCUs, for-profit institutions, single-gender schools, plus re-entry, justice-involved, and adult learners—between December 2022 and July 2024. Each 45-90 minute digital narrative interview captured three phases: pre-college circumstances, college experiences with challenges/opportunities, and post-graduation outcomes. Participants uploaded supporting artifacts (photos, documents) to illustrate their journeys. Audio-recorded interviews were transcribed and analyzed using Dedoose software with standard inductive coding and Intersectionality Methodology strategies. Black women demonstrate unwavering dedication to higher education even when facing inadequate financial aid and disproportionately high student debt loads, indicating that financial barriers alone do not deter educational aspirations. However, ongoing discrimination and racism create systemic impediments to educational access, while the dual challenge of maintaining mental health and wellness represents both an essential need and a significant barrier to success. The findings suggest that effective government and advocacy interventions must address multiple levels simultaneously: reforming financial aid structures to reduce debt burdens, dismantling discriminatory practices that limit access, and integrating mental health support as a core component of educational equity initiatives. This framework positions systemic change as necessary for translating Black women's educational commitment into equitable outcomes, moving beyond individual resilience narratives toward institutional accountability and structural reform.

Author

• Ayana T. Hardaway, Stanford University