Intangible Harm: How African American Female Students at a Predominantly White Christian Institution Negotiate Their Image.

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

Although research has been conducted on African American female students and their identity at predominantly White institutions, little study has been conducted on African American female students at predominantly White Christian institutions (PWCI). PWCI is a phrase I coined in which the White race encompasses a strong presence in comparison to other racial or ethnic groups. The predominance stems from more than the number of White students but also includes cultural and social influences, curriculum,pedagogy, and overall campus environment on Christian higher education campuses. Furthermore, although research has been conducted on how African American women negotiate their image to fit a majority white culture, there has been little research exploring how African American female undergraduate students at a PWCI negotiate their image. A narrative approach was utilized to explore and understand the experiences of African American female students. The purpose of this narrative research study is to understand how African American/Black female undergraduate students at a PWCI negotiate their image. For the purposes of this study, PWCI refers to an institution in which Whites account for close to 50% of the student enrollment. In this case, the institution of study’s enrollment in 2018 was 46% White and 2% African American/Black (“Field” University, 2018-2019). I collected data by means of semi-structured interviews with eleven African American female students ranging from freshmen to seniors in an undergraduate program at a PWCI. Participants were recruited/invited to participate via email sent by the Chief Diversity Officer at the University. The findings may serve as a model or develop strategies for those who intentionally interact and are responsible for guiding and engaging with African American female students on a university campus where there is a dominant homogeneous environment. Furthermore, this study is significant and imperative to the retention of African American female students and a PWCI’s consideration in hiring faculty and staff with whom this group may identify.