Author ORCID Identifier
https://orcid.org/0009-0003-3015-9880
Date Available
6-13-2025
Year of Publication
2024
Document Type
Doctoral Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
College
Education
Department/School/Program
Educational Policy Studies and Eval
Advisor
Dr. Kayla Johnson
Abstract
This phenomenological study examines the success strategies employed by professional African American women (AAW) at predominately white higher education institutions (PWIs). Grounded in Black Feminist Thought (BFT), the “Outsider Within” framework (Collins, 1986), and the concept of “failed citizenship” (Banks, 2017), it explores how AAW navigate and redefine success within environments shaped by exclusionary white patriarchal norms. Through interviews with ten co-laborers, two themes emerged: liberation from unsupportive environments and negotiation strategies to define success.
Findings reveal that AAW’s success strategies center on identity, self-awareness, and rejecting institutional oppression. Co-laborers articulated their liberation by naming the environment as oppressed, fostering strategies for boundary setting, advocacy, and self-definition. Key approaches included internalized self-policing, community building, and resource navigation. The concept of “Black Girl Wisdom” is introduced to highlight the adaptive and generative knowledge AAW use to transform oppressive institutional landscapes. This research challenges institutions to critically examine their diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) efforts, advocating for transformative citizenship frameworks and structural change. By centering the voices of professional AAW, this study exposes systemic barriers while amplifying their resilience and ingenuity. It contributes to the discourse on racialized and gendered experiences in higher education, offering insights to empower marginalized identities and foster authentic inclusion.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.13023/etd.2024.492
Funding Information
This study was supported by the University of Kentucky's College of Education's Educational Policy Studies and Evaluation's Dissertation Enhancement Award in 2023.
Recommended Citation
Jordan, TeAsia, "BLACK GIRL WISDOM: A BLACK FEMINIST ANALYSIS OF SUCCESS STRATEGIES OF PROFESSIONAL AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMEN AT PREDOMINATELY WHITE HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS" (2024). Theses and Dissertations--Educational Policy Studies and Evaluation. 107.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/epe_etds/107
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Included in
African American Studies Commons, Higher Education Commons, Other Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Commons, Women's Studies Commons
