Writing Together: Fostering Belonging for Black Doctoral Students

• In Event: We Wrote Ourselves In: The Doctoral Student Writing Collective as a Blueprint for Belonging

Abstract

The process of earning a doctoral degree is often characterized by deep isolation, intense pressure, and limited institutional support—realities that are even more acute for Black doctoral students navigating predominantly white academic spaces. In response to these persistent inequities, the Doctoral Student Writing Collective (DSWC) was founded in 2024 as a national, peer-led initiative to combat isolation, foster belonging, and promote academic success for racially minoritized doctoral students. This paper presents the DSWC as a model of community-based academic intervention, grounded in liberation, wellness, and solidarity.

This study has three core objectives: (1) to explore how the DSWC creates a healing academic environment that centers community, care, and accountability; (2) to evaluate the DSWC’s impact on academic productivity, mental well-being, and persistence through qualitative and quantitative participant data; and (3) to offer the DSWC as a replicable model for equity-centered doctoral education.
Guided by Self-Determination Theory (Deci & Ryan, 2012) and the construct of sense of belonging (Strayhorn, 2022), the paper frames the DSWC as a site where autonomy, competence, and relatedness are nurtured—elements that are often lacking for Black students in graduate education. These theories illuminate the relationship between emotional safety and academic progress, particularly for those marginalized by institutional norms. The DSWC responds to these dynamics by offering twice-weekly writing sessions via Zoom, peer mentorship, resource sharing, and communal celebration of academic milestones.

The paper draws on a mixed-methods research design, incorporating survey data, participant narratives, and community feedback gathered from over 250 active members across more than 175 institutions and multiple countries. Quantitative data were analyzed using SPSS, and qualitative reflections were thematically coded using grounded theory. Participants cited the DSWC as instrumental in their dissertation progress, manuscript submissions, and overall sense of academic confidence. Notably, over 16 members successfully defended their dissertations within the collective’s first year of operation.

Beyond metrics of productivity, the DSWC addresses the emotional labor and trauma Black students often carry in graduate spaces. Participants repeatedly emphasized that the collective provided them with a rare sense of belonging, purpose, and visibility—elements missing in their home departments. These findings underscore the critical role of culturally sustaining, student-led spaces in disrupting institutional barriers and advancing academic equity.

This paper contributes to the literature on doctoral retention, academic well-being, and race-conscious educational reform by elevating the DSWC as a practical and transformative solution to enduring challenges in graduate education. As institutions strive to “unforget” the histories of exclusion and imagine more just educational futures, the DSWC offers a living blueprint for how Black students can write themselves—and each other—into the story. Rather than reproducing deficit narratives, this research celebrates the agency, resilience, and brilliance of Black scholars building community on their own terms.

Authors

• Da'Ja'Nay Askew, Indiana University

• Tim Herd, University of California - Los Angeles