Date of Award

Summer 8-20-2025

Document Type

Open Access Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Department

Education/Higher Education PhD

First Advisor

Joesph N. Cooper

Second Advisor

Tara Parker

Third Advisor

Tomika Ferguson

Abstract

Black Women college athletes (BWCAs) at historically White institutions (HWIs) navigate a complex intersection of racialized and gendered experiences that shape their academic, athletic, and social lives. This qualitative study explored how BWCAs defined success, navigated systemic challenges, and leveraged holistic support to thrive. Using critical race feminism (CRF) as the guiding theoretical framework, this study centered the voices of five high-achieving BWCAs through semi-structured interviews and reflective thematic analysis.

Participants described the complex realities of balancing academic rigor, athletic participation, and social expectations while facing intersectional invisibility and contending with their status as “outsider within” in both academic and athletic arenas. Rather than emphasizing victimization, this research highlights how BWCAs demonstrated academic resilience and redefined success beyond institutional metrics such as GPA or athletic accolades. Their success was defined by the ability to foster holistic well-being, to prioritize mental health (including sleep and rest), and to find or create culturally affirming spaces.

The findings suggest that institutional support systems often fail to align with the lived realities of BWCAs. Many of these systems operate from generalized models, leaving gaps in mental health support, academic support, and inclusive campus spaces. The study also identified protective factors—including culturally responsive peer networks and mentors—that contribute to a sense of belonging and emotional safety.

This study offers four targeted recommendations for university stakeholder. First, campus leadership must move beyond symbolic equity efforts to implement anti-deficit policies. Second, athletic directors should redesign mentoring and study hall programs with culturally responsive frameworks and include the hiring of Black women. Third, campus health services must integrate holistic, identity-conscious wellness care. Finally, universities must create and sustain visible affinity spaces for BWCAs. Through the lens of CRF praxis, this study’s findings help reframe institutional transformation as a moral and strategic imperative, whereby institutions can disrupt the structural inequities that constrain Black women college athletes and foster environments in which they can thrive both on and off the field.

Comments

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