UCLA

There is scant research about Black female students in community colleges. A review of statewide data on Black women in California Community Colleges reflects similar challenges faced by their Black male counterparts. However, there is little attention paid to the experiences of Black women in community colleges. This study examined the experiences of Black female students on a nationally recognized California community college campus, Rose City Community College (RCCC). Specifically, the study centered their lived experiences through a funds of identity ((Esteban-Guitart, 2016; Esteban-Guitart & Moll, 2014) lens and from a Black Feminist frame. The study included secondary data analysis of research and data about Black female students at the selected college. The study was a phenomenological qualitative study centered on in-depth interviews of 11 Black women who were enrolled at RCCC at the time of the study. Findings from the study revealed that the college had little data available regarding Black women specifically. The interviews illuminated the following findings: Black women use their funds of identity to navigate/survive various forms of personal, educational and societal abuse; conflicting messages and stereotyping effect the experiences of Black women in the classroom and on campus; Black women experience invisibility, hypervisibility, and microaggressions in the classroom and on campus; and the experiences of Black women are not monolithic. This study fills the research gap that exists related to Black female community college students, particularly from the lens of a Black female scholar-practitioner. The study also provides a critical analysis of the efforts made to understand the experiences of Black women by an institution recognized as a leader in equity.