Gender, Identity, and Race: Examining Black Females' Sense of Belonging in Secondary and Postsecondary Contexts

Session Type: Symposium

Abstract

This symposium focuses on Black females’ identities and ecological settings and how they intersect with a sense of belonging throughout the secondary and postsecondary continuum. Each paper highlights the racial/ethnic and gendered identities of Black females and characterizes the notion of belonging as research method, using Black feminist and spiritual theoretical frameworks (Collins, 2000; Dillard, 2006; hooks, 1981). This method shifts a sense of space and identity from social margins to a center focus where both identity and solidarity of Black females are developed. Findings show how Black females construct and negotiate identities to assist in embracing their sense of belonging and how they benefit from a more engaging and inclusive environment to counteract the effects of social marginalization.

Sub Unit

• SIG-Research Focus on Black Education

Chair

• Sara M. Childers, Independent Scholar

Papers

• Negotiating African Migrations, Belonging, Identity, and Place in U.S. Schools - Chinwe Linda Okpalaoka, The Ohio State University

• Identity Construction and the Schooling Experiences of Adolescent Girls of Caribbean Descent - Kisha C Bryan, Tennessee State University

• Gender, Identity, and Socialization: A Sense of Belonging Among Black Female Graduate Students in STEM - Andrea L. Tyler, Tennessee State University

• Race and Religion in the Educational and Professional Experience of Immigrant Sudanese Muslim Women - Awatif Elnour, The Ohio State University

Discussant

• Nicole Michelle Joseph, Vanderbilt University - Peabody College