Unwanted guests: Black women who contemplated and then voluntarily terminated their non-faculty employment at predominantly White institutions of higher education
This study explored the gendered racism experienced by Black women at predominantly White institutions of higher education. To provide deeper insight, into Black women’s contemplation of leaving PWIs, multiple data collection tools were utilized to construct this exploratory qualitative narrative research study. For data collection a survey, two phone interviews, and a reflective prompt were utilized. The theoretical lenses which guided this research were Critical Race Theory, Africana Womanism, and Historical Womanist. The WHO Healthy Workplace theoretical framework was also used to stimulate discussion as it pertains to the participants’ physical work environment, psychosocial work environment, personal health resources, and enterprise community. This research was able to give voice to a silenced and marginalized group who may have remained silent while enduring their discomfort and therefore, their stories may not have been heard in any other intentional manner outside of this study. This research was also able to provide recommendations to hiring units in institutions of higher education, especially at predominantly White institutions, to Black women in the field or thinking about entering the field of higher education, and to the graduate preparatory programs who are responsible for preparing aspiring student affairs professionals.
Black women employed at predominantly White institutions (PWIs)
University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign
Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign