The Lab: Building Belonging and Motivation for Black Women in Higher Education

Session Type: Workshop

Abstract

This research-in-action workshop engages participants in a live Sista Circle (Johnson, 2015), a culturally grounded methodology, to explore the lived experiences, learning trajectories, and motivational development of Black women in higher education (Decuir-Gunby & Schutz, 2024; Gray et al., 2018; Kumar & Decuir-Gunby, 2023). Through collective dialogue, participants will analyze systemic barriers and co-create a roadmap for academic well-being and liberation. This session centers race, gender, and context to examine how epistemic violence, isolation, and institutional neglect shape educational persistence. Grounded in womanism (Phillips, 2006) and decolonial practice (McCrudden & Rapp, 2024), this embodied session invites deep reflection and visionary planning. It contributes to the literature by linking sociocultural contexts with learning, motivation, and identity development for Black women across the academic lifespan.

Sub Unit

• Division C - Learning and Instruction / Division C - Section 2b: Learning and Motivation in Social and Cultural Contexts

Chair

• Taylor Cummings, University of Nevada - Las Vegas

Participants

• British Reynolds, University of Illinois at Chicago

• Stacy Seward, University of Massachusetts - Lowell

Presenters

• Kayla Hinkson-Grant, University of Florida

• Kendra Seraphine, Wake Forest University

• Jamela Joseph, Touro University

Session Organizer

• Taylor Cummings, University of Nevada - Las Vegas