Make Space for Us: An Exploration of Black Female College Students' Fictive Kinship

Problem Statement

While students of color may be an enrollment objective, their needs become a precarious conundrum to address particularly as it relates to the fawning political climate and defunding of higher education. Although institutions may recognize racialized student populations are pivotal to increasing enrollment, the growth of anti-diversity campaigns coupled with the rising college costs, and enrollment strategies become even more complex. In addition to managing external concerns, institutions must simultaneously plan for other historical concerns which include academic readiness, sense of belonging, stereotype threat, and familial and cultural background (Aronson et al., 2002; Santos & Haycock, 2016; Walton & Cohen 2011; York et al., 2015). We argue studying Black female college student experiences informs these strategies because this population currently occupies a notable portion of the enrollment of students of color.

Thus, this study centers on the lived experiences of Black female college students through a Black feminist lens. A Black feminist approach allowed the analysis to inform possible long-term organizational changes in higher education. This intersectional study explored two Black female college students’ narratives, threading together their experiences which were synthesized by race, ethnicity, and gender identity. As a result, this empirical work resolves to answer the following research question: How are Black female fictive kinships significant to countering macroagressions? The axioms of the researchers’ analysis aim to emphasize cultural corollaries to support Black women college students and students of color. This study will conclude with a debate on the results and recommendations.