UCLA

Black women student affairs professionals are essential figures and play a vital role in the development and learning of students attending college (Jackson, 2003; Turrentine & Conley, 2001). While the presence of Black women students continues to rise on campus, Black women student affairs professionals continue to be disproportionately represented in comparison. Black women mid-level student professionals are underrepresented and face unique challenges while they are navigating the intersecting identities of race, class and gender while working in student affairs. This qualitative study examined the personal and professional experiences of ten Black women student affairs professionals at a public university. This research study utilized a conceptual framework developed from Intersectionality (Crenshaw, 1989) and Black Feminist Thought-BFT (Collins, 1986, 2000, 2009) to guide this analysis to reveal the thematic elements of shared experiences. The findings highlighted six themes that illustrated the personal, professional experiences and challenges that these Black women mid-level student affairs professionals faced. The findings illuminated the tensions between their experiences and their social identities. The themes related to their experiences were: Black Woman-ness, Faculty Bullying and Incivility, Black Superwoman Syndrome, Quality of Life, Lack of Support and Community. These themes offered a nuanced view of their challenges and the mechanisms they utilized to survive and thrive while working at the university, showing the ways they navigated these tensions. Ultimately participants struggled with lack of support and sought community to enhance their quality of life. Recommendations for practice, policy and future research consisted of the institution being pro-active and intentional about building internal structures within the university to provide opportunities for Black women to be mentored. Further, institutions should encourage community by promoting affinity groups that cater to the development of Black women. Institutions must be more deliberate and strategic in the hiring and retention of Black women working in the academy, as well as implementing better institutional supports to encourage the success of Black women student affairs professionals.