Lived Experiences of African American Women Who Pursue Their PhD After the Age of 50

• In Event: Storytelling and Possibilities, Fractures and Legibility

Abstract

Historically, African Americans are an underrepresented group in higher education. Since court decision in the case of Brown vs. the Board of Education (1954), African American women have fought to have their voices heard and their presence validated, on their own terms. In recent years, great strides have been made in African American enrollment at every level of higher education. However, very few studies examine the lived experiences of African American women over 50 who are in pursuit of their Ph.D. Qualitative methodology is used to explore the lived experiences of five African American women, aged 50 years and older, who are pursuing their Ph.D. Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis was an appropriate fit to answer the research questions.

Author

• Doleatha J. Thomas, University of the Incarnate Word