No abstract

Background:Work–life balance is a significant issue for women of color in an urban environment whether one is engaged in academia, traditional work, remote/dispersed work, or entrepreneurial work. As women of color attempt to address the tangible and intangible aspects of the “life” portion associated with the work–life balance discussion, elements such as race, ethnicity, religion, spirituality, and caregiver demands toward primary and extended family are often ignored.Objective:This article expands the work–life balance discussion to include urban women of color.Methods:Uses the lens of a womanist epistemology that incorporates critical race feminist theory while capturing viewpoints of four urban women of color who are social workers in the academy.Findings:reflect a nuanced voice challenging the work-life balance discussion to work life management.

This article expands the student work-life discussion to include nontraditional graduate students of color. The Afrocentric theory is used as a conceptual framework. A collaborative inquiry approach was used to capture the reflections and experiences of three urban graduate students of color matriculating at a historically Black university during a pandemic. Six themes emerged: COVID-19, ties that bind, financial responsibility, linked fate, mental and physical well-being, and student work-life management. The article concludes with implications for education, research, and policy.