We Are Who We Say We Are: An Intersectional Analysis of Literature on Black College Women

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session 8
  In Roundtable Session: Our Triumphs Should Not Mask Our Struggle: The Stories of Black Women in College Settings

Abstract

Black college women are phenomenal knowers and producers of knowledge. However, their experiences while in higher education deeply impact their ability to make meaning of their membership in multiple identity groups and corresponding marginalization. This conceptual paper uses intersectionality as a methodology to examine current literature on Black college women and their identity development. Three core themes were interpreted as barriers and methods of support as Black college women make-meaning of their identity: navigating negative stereotypes, interconnectedness of race and gender, and communities of support as positive socialization.

Authors

• Symone McCollum, Texas A&M University - College Station

• Christa J. Porter, Kent State University