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theses

Du Bois (1902) argues that “being Black” is a consistent identity struggle for people of African descent in the United States because Black identity is often seen as incongruent with the cultural and social values of mainstream America. Tinto (1993) offers that this incongruence is apparent at predominantly White institutions (PWIs) and suggests that participating in racially-centered student organizations allows Black students to “fit in” at PWIs and, in turn, promotes their success in college. Carter (1994) contends that Black identity is not a uniformed experience; socioeconomic status, educational level/attainment and ethnicity/nationality diversify it. This dissertation explored this versatility through the stories of Black women who joined White sororities at PWIs. The goal was to shed light on their experiences, to understand how race is perceived and understood in the lives of those who do not perform race in traditional or stereotypical ways. Secondly, the research delved into the intersected relationship between race, class/socioeconomics and ethnicity/nationality—and the role that it plays in defining Black identity at PWIs.

The study employed a phenomenological approach and focused on the participants’ experiences as pre-college and undergraduate students. Individual interviews, a focus group and ethnographic observations were used to collect the data. It also examined the role that race played in their decision to join a White sorority, as well as their experiences with their racial peers on campus—as first-year students and, later, as members of their sororities. The findings revealed that socioeconomic status and ethnicity/nationality played critical roles in their understandings of Black identity; most of the participants were ridiculed for “acting White” by both, their Black and White peers. Secondly, the participants felt that the authenticity of their “Blackness” was questioned by their racial peers because they did not engage with the Black community on campus on a regular basis. Third, their interactions with the Black/African American students on campus largely impacted their decisions to join traditional (White) sororities; their experiences with their racial peers on campus were nearly identical. Finally, the participants were celebrated their identity as Black women; they simply did not participate in their campus’ “racially authenticating” activities.

ETD_9033

doi:10.7282/t3-x4hn-8c16

Ed.D.

Includes bibliographical references

by Joy L. Smith

ETD doctoral

The author owns the copyright to this work.