Stubborn Persistence: Understanding Activism as an Academic Persistence Strategy for Women of Color College Students

• In Event: 51.079 - MTCC Roundtable Session 22
  In Roundtable Session: 51.079-3 - Women of Color in Higher Education

Abstract

While we’ve seen an increase in the number of students of color engaged in activism on campus, little is known about the impact of activism on their lives. Using data from interviews with 16 women of color activists in a college campus, this study asks why these young women become student activists, and specifically, how activism affects their academic persistence. Findings suggest that their activism is a response to what Sara Ahmed calls “university’s non-performatives.” Additionally, I find that their activism is a form of academic persistence, a strategy they use to navigate a primarily-white university. This paper expands traditional understandings of “good” academic strategies to encompass the act of resistance as a form of academic persistence.

Author

• Jomaira Salas Pujols