Black female college athletes’ perception of power in sport and society

Success Through Community Cultural Wealth: Reflections From Black Female College Athletes at a Historically Black College/University (HBCU) and a Historically White Institution (HWI)

“…Consistent with the literature on African American female students in college (Howard-Hamilton, 2003), research on African American female college athletes argued their experiences are distinct from their same-race male and different-race female counterparts (Sellers et al, 1997). As such, within this literature review, the authors will highlight research related to Black female college athletes' experiences in college including campus climates at HWIs (Bernhard, 2014;Bruening et al, 2005;Carter, 2008;Carter-Francique, Dortch, & Carter-Phiri, 2017;Withycombe, 2011)and HBCUs (Carter-Francique & Richardson, 2015;Charlton, 2011; and the emerging body of work focused on their engagement in educationally purposeful activities Comeaux, Speer, Taustine, & Harrison, 2011;Gaston-Gayles & Hu, 2009;Umbach et al, 2006). This literature provides a necessary context for understanding the purpose and valued added of the current study.…”

“…The extant literature on Black female college athletes has highlighted their unique and complex experiences in both academic and athletic contexts (Bernhard, 2014;Bruening et al, 2005;Carter, 2008;Carter, Dortch, & Carter-Phiri, 2017;Carter & Hart, 2010;Cooper et al, 2016;Foster, 2003;Harmon, 2009;Sellers et al, 1997;Withycombe, 2011). Consistent with the literature on African American female students in college (Howard-Hamilton, 2003), research on African American female college athletes argued their experiences are distinct from their same-race male and different-race female counterparts (Sellers et al, 1997).…”

“…Related to peer student athlete engagement, Comeaux, Speer, Taustine, and Harrison (2011) found Black student athletes' general academic self-concept was associated with developing close relationships with fellow student athletes who value education and enhancing their academic talents. Researchers have also documented numerous benefits for Black college athletes who participate in culturally relevant and responsive programming at both HWIs (Bimper, 2015, 2016; Carter-Francique, 2013;Carter-Francique, Dortch, & Carter-Phiri, 2017;Cooper, 2016) and HBCUs (Cooper, 2013).…”

“…Given the unique experiences and positionality of Black female college athletes, it is necessary to engage in antideficit research that encompasses intersectional lenses (Collins, 1986(Collins, , 1990(Collins, , 2000Crenshaw, 1991) to identify and create effective holistic supports for this subgroup (Carter-Francique, 2013;Carter-Francique, Cooper et al, 2016;Dortch, & Carter-Phiri, 2017) and more broadly demonstrate a stronger commitment to equity in education and sport. Thus, our current study differs from and builds upon previous research in its centrality of an antideficit approach in the examination of Black female college athletes at two distinct institutional types.…”

Is excellence inclusive? The benefits of fostering Black female college athlete's sense of belonging

“…In full disclosure, the program was created and facilitated by my colleague Dr. Deniece Dortch and myself and was then instituted at Texas A&M University during our tenure. A number of valuable issues were addressed through the program workshops that resulted in beneficial aspects for Black female college athletes such as research studies that added to the aforementioned scholarship on Black female college athletes (Carter-Francique, 2013;Carter-Francique, Dortch, & Carter-Phiri, 2017) and research that supported the development of other scholarly endeavors (Dortch & Patel, 2017). Even with the beneficial aspects, I contend that my desire to institute an inclusionary program to redress systemic oppressions (e.g., racism, sexism, classism) at an individual level cannot be resolved with an individual level endeavor.…”