“I’m Always on the Clock”: Examining Black Women Student Leaders' Racialized Labor

• In Event: Who Leads, Who Labors, Who Lasts? Institutional Climate, Labor, and Leadership in Higher Education

Abstract

This qualitative study explores the labor experiences of Black women student leaders who served as presidents and vice presidents of Black Student Unions (BSUs) at Predominantly White Institutions (PWIs). Drawing from a larger study, this paper focuses on how these leaders navigated unpaid labor, emotional caregiving, and institutional expectations of service without compensation or adequate support. Using Black Feminist Thought (BFT) and Racialized Equity Labor (REL) as guiding frameworks, the study highlights the emotional, cultural, and logistical responsibilities embedded in their leadership. Participants describe their labor as essential to campus belonging and retention, yet chronically undervalued. Findings call attention to institutional dependence on Black women’s unpaid contributions and advocate for structural change in how student labor is recognized and resourced.

Author

• Juana Hollingsworth, Morgan State University