There’s no place like home? African American women in the residence halls of a predominantly white Midwestern University

ABSTRACT

Despite an increase in scholarship exploring the challenges African American women face in the classrooms of predominantly White institutions, there is surprisingly little research on the experiences of these women as they navigate the social spaces of PWIs. I address this shortcoming by investigating how African American women navigate socio-spatial interactions in residence halls. I use qualitative evidence from interviews with academically successful African American women at a Midwestern PWI. While I find that African American women do not have an aversion to developing friendships with White students, racial and gender tensions motivate African American women to self-segregate. Because they are marginalized both inside and outside the classroom, African American women develop socio-spatial practices that insulate them from White students in the dorms.

KEYWORDS:

• Race and ethnicities
• women
• achievement
• higher education

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes on contributor

Dr. Christina S. Haynes is a graduate of The Ohio State University in Education and Human Ecology. She is currently at the University of Kentucky in African American and Africana Studies and Gender and Women's Studies.

Notes

1. The interviews used here are part of a larger study. Most interviews took place in the relaxed atmosphere of a coffee shop near the college campus. Participants received a $25 stipend. A list of the interview questions appears in Appendix 2.

2. Narrative inquiry examines how participants are influenced by social structures that inhibit them from communicating their experiences or empower them to do so (Lieblich, Tuval-Mashiach, and Zilber 1998).

3. Traditional approaches to research reject embracing culture as biased and lacking objectivity, preferring instead to focus on tightly defined research questions that can be answered within the framework of standard objective methodologies such as quantitative research. However, feminist researchers have questioned the validity of this argument for some time. As a Black woman, I am always interrogating my perceptions and how they are influenced by the social context of living in a society that places me on the margins. My own experiences have not only led me to this project, they are potential tools for advocating research and policy for Black women in higher education. Methodological issues that problematize the complexity of the role of the researcher could offer insights into understanding the lived experiences of African American women.

4. Tia notes that ‘I just think, being up here, I just realized that racism was still alive and well, unfortunately … I get along with people fine, like, I don’t have a problem with you if you are White or Asian. I think it’s just that, I think I have a defense, like I have a wall, like, I won’t let you get too close just in case they turn out to be racist.’

5. As Tia observes, ‘You’re apologizing because I was in the room. Had I not been in the room, would I be getting the same apology when somebody had told me you said it? And you was like: “Oh, I’m sorry”? Or, was it regular for you?’ and that he believed that his language was acceptable in the context of a private space.

6. Lisa states that she looks to other Black people for solaces or a kind ear about racism: ‘When you have to deal with racism, it is good to have someone to talk to because your roommate may not understand. They are not Black and that is pretty much it for that.’

7. Whitney says ‘I have known girls who are mixed and they will not identify themselves as African-Americans what so ever. They will try to hide it you know it was one of the first things I know I am I glad I'm mixed I am black and my mom is white it is obvious I tell you so there are no surprises.’ She identifies herself as being a Black woman and further states that ‘I will start talking about my experiences of being Black and people will say ‘Oh, I thought you were Latina or Middle Eastern because you take Middle Eastern Studies and Arabic classes.’ No I am black.’