During my junior year of high school, I visited Clark Atlanta University in Atlanta, Georgia, and had my heart set on going there. Everyone was so friendly and welcoming and the best part of all is that it is warm there. After seeing how expensive it was and how far from my family I would be, I decided instead on attending Bowling Green State University. As upset as I was not being able to attend my first choice college, I felt that I would be better off going to Bowling Green State University. I felt this way because the real world is predominantly white and so was this school. Bowling Green would prepare me for the real world. I felt that overall I would become more culturally aware than if I attended a historically black college. While preparing myself for college I thought about how it would be for an African American woman on a predominantly white campus, and if I would be as successful as my Caucasian male and female classmates.
Intersectionality creates roadblocks for African American Women in predominantly white colleges because it has a negative effect on their grades, their health, and in their college achievement. With this in mind, it seems as though Black women struggle in our society in general and not only on college campuses. Lisa Jackson, an author who writes about African American women, described their role in society. “African American Women struggle in this society-not only for the luxury of self-definition, but for their very survival…includes fighting against negative stereotypes that limit opportunities and degrade self concept, and fighting to obtain access to such arenas as employment and education” (Jackson 175). What she is trying to prove is that there are many things for a black woman to worry about in general on a daily basis in comparison to a black male or a white woman. These struggles are increased when a black woman decides on attending a white college since she is around whites a majority of the time and not only has to adapt to her surroundings, but also has to cope with daily preconceived notions about how blacks are “supposed” to act according to our societies stereotypes.
Before one may be able to address the issues of intersectionality, one must first understand what it is. Intersectionality refers to the way different aspects of a woman may limit her rights. These aspects can be her religion, race, class, sexual orientation and so on. Since a woman can also be prejudiced against because of her sex, any other classification she may be involved with can lead to double the trouble. Intersectionality is to be discriminated against for more than one thing. While it is hard to be just one of these minorities, it is very difficult to be a part of two. Corrine M. Kane describes the mentality of a black person in an article about a study done on minorities’ dreams. She states, “Sociological implications from this study include the suggestion that African Americans perceive themselves as powerless in our society…at the deepest level of consciousness, continue to struggle with the sense that they are not in control of their own lives” (Kane 1). If this is how African Americans in general feel, how bad must their women feel? Joe R. Faegin, author of “The Agony of Education: Black Students at White Colleges and Universities,” elaborates upon this helplessness theory about why African Americans may feel this way. He states, “Consider the scholarly works that every decade or so claim to have discovered a genetic inferiority in the average intelligence levels of African Americans and other peoples of color. It often seems that there is a concerted cultural war against African Americans and other people of color (Feagin vii). With this further proving my point of the hardships blacks must face not only in society, but also within themselves, it seems as if women are fighting a separate battle. Since there are so many daily struggles with being a black woman on a predominantly white college campus, it becomes difficult to consult the bigger issues with intersectionality.
Black women face most prejudice on college campuses through microaggression. According to Daniel Solórzano, author of “Critical Race Theory, Racial Microaggressions, and Campus Racial Climate: The Experiences of African American College Students”, “Microaggressions are subtle insults (verbal, nonverbal, and/or visual) directed toward people of color, often automatically or unconsciously” (Solórzano 1). Microaggressions can seem harmless and can sometimes be hard to describe as being prejudice, but they do have a habit of changing the racial climate. P. Davis, author of “Law as Micoraggression,” described microaggression as “stunning, automatic acts of disregard that stem from unconscious attitudes of white superiority and constitute a verification of black inferiority” (Solórzano 1). This means that a person can say or do something that could be considered as racist behavior, and may not even realize it as being so. Because of these unnoticed behaviors, black women in predominantly white colleges suffer.
One way black women suffer from microaggressions on college campus is the negative effect it could have on students’ studies. Since these microaggressions can be found in an academic setting as well as a social one, it is very hard to escape them. Solórzano speaks about one way microaggressions can influence black students’ studies. He states, “Research found that when African American college students were prompted to indicate their race before taking a Graduate Record Examination (GRE), their test scores were significantly lower than when they were not prompted to note their race. Steele and Aronson described this phenomenon as ‘stereotype threat'” (Solórzano 2). What this stereotype threat pertains to it is the fear to be discriminated against because of their race. Since they have to fill out the little bubble that says that they are black, they feel that there is a chance that their test will be graded unfairly because of their race being on the test. Lisa R. Jackson also described why these microaggressions could negatively affect black women’s studies. She states, “Women repeatedly mentioned the ‘daily struggle’ which included being oppressed, working harder than others to be successful, constantly having to prove self to others, not being able to complain, fighting negative stereotypes, and fighting battles against racism and discrimination” (Jackson 177). Notice that she mentioned this as a daily thing. Having to worry about all of this on top of college issues such as exams, essays, and homework is enough to stress at least 10 people. This stress too can lead to other negative effects on students such as health problems.
Prejudices against black women on college campuses also have negative effects on student’s health. Stress and college students work hand and hand, but with the added stress it becomes very difficult to manage these things and still be able to keep a cool head. Stress can also lead to sickness such as a cold or even mononucleosis. Daniel Solórzano wrote how some black students described how they felt on a daily basis. He stated, “Some indicated feeling ‘drained’ by the intense scrutiny their everyday actions received in the content of negative preconceived notions about African Americans” (Solórzano 6). Being a college student myself, I find it very hard to do work if I am feeling ‘drained’ of energy. It is also very difficult to get to class when you under the weather from stressing too much. If a student were to get mononucleosis, they would probably have to go home for a few weeks missing lots of class work. If a students work is not done, it makes a students job of college achievement a very difficult one to maintain.
This prejudice also has a negative effect on college achievement. When there are so many things to think about, one can forget why they are in college in the first place. Because of the microaggresions that go on, on campus, some black women may choose to drop out of school or may flunk out from lack of concentration. Nevertheless, college is hard for any student, and especially minorities. Solórzano describes how African American college students think and what they must actually concentrate on while in school. He states, “This means that the African American students on the campuses studied must strive to maintain good academic standing while negotiating the conflicts arising from disparaging perceptions of them and their group origin” (Solórzano 8). What he is saying is that not only do black students have to work hard, but also they have to prove to everyone else their reasons for being there. However, although it may be more difficult to achieve as a Black woman in a white college, it is not impossible. Jacqueline Fleming, the author of “Black women in Black and White College Environments: The Making of the Matriarch,” describes the results of a study done on Black women in white colleges. She states,” [Black female seniors at white colleges] tend more often than freshmen to describe the influences of college on them as involving coping and survival, and the ability to deal with other people, and a general cultural broadening” (Fleming 50). Although black women in predominantly white colleges had to survive on campus, they still learned a lot from the process which overall made them stronger.
Black women can overcome intersectionality on predominantly white campuses in many ways. One way that black women can do this is to surround themselves with people who are like them. It is important that they reach out to different cultures to get to know them, but have a home base where they can just go and relax without having to worry about being a black woman. This is important to do because you could have other black women push you to where you need to go and encourage you as well. Also do not forget why you are at school, and that reason is to get an education. Black Women should not let anyone else’s ideas of them get in the way of their education. Another way to do this is to think of their sex and race as one thing, not two. One should state, I am a black woman, not just black when around whites, and not just a woman when around men. Since black women are fighting their own battle against intersectionality, it is imperative that they know their whole self at all times. One last way to overcome intersectionality on campus is to forget about the stereotypes. Do not give in to the stereotype that blacks are not smart, or that women should not be able to be powerful because they are untrue. It is very possible to succeed if you believe in yourself.
After I received my acceptance letter to Bowling Green State University, I was surprised to hear that my best friend had made it in as well. Because of this, we decided to room together and have gotten along ever since. Since she is also African American, we both can share the feeling of how it feels to be both black and a woman on campus. Even on the hardest days, we still manage to pull each other through all of the hardships. I feel that she has a lot to do with why I did so well my first semester here since she pushed me to do my homework when I did not feel up to it and made me go to class even when the weather was nasty. Any black woman can succeed in a predominantly white college as long as they can have someone there to share the experiences with who understands and pushes them in the right direction. In addition, aside from my daily dilemmas, I remember why I am here and that is not to prove myself to others or to party every night. I am here to receive an education, and regardless of my sex and race, I am going to get it.
Works CitedFeagin, Joe R., Hernan Vera, and Nikitah Imani. The Agony of Education: Black Students at White Colleges and Universities. New York: Routledge, 1996.
Fleming, Jacqueline. “Black Women in Black and White College Environments: The making of a Matriarch.” Journal of Social Issues. Vol. 39. 41-54.Gender Studies Database. EBSCO. Jerome Lib. Bowling Green State U. 7 Mar. 2007.
Jackson, Lisa R. “‘We’re Fighting Two Different Battles Here’: An Exploration of African American Women’s Definitions of Self at Predominantly White Schools.” Journal of Adult Development. Jul. 1998:171-181. Gender Studies Database. 7 March 2007. < http://search.ebscohost.com>
Kane, Corrine M. Differences in the Manifest Dream Content of Anglo-American and African-American College Women.” Journal of Multicultural Counseling and Development 22.4(1994): 203-209.Gender Studies Database. 6 March 2007.
Solórzano, Daniel, Miguel Ceja, and Tara Yosso. Critical Race Theory, Racial Microaggressions, and Campus Racial Climate: The experiences of African American College Students.” The Journal of Negro Education Vol.69, Knocking at Freedom’s Door: Race, Equity and Affirmative Action in U.S. Higher Education. 60-73. Academic Search Premiere. EBSCO. Jerome lib. Bowling Green State U. 6 Mar. 2007
