“I’m Still Here:” Black Female Undergraduates’ Self-definition Narratives

Abstract

Drawing on Black feminism and oral narrative research, we examine how Black women undergraduates make senseof their identities as Black females. More specifically, we explore the dual impact of gender and race by consideringwhat it means to be a Black woman on campus. The women in this study articulate compelling, and at times,diverging self-definitions that problematize Black women’s representation within predominantly White classrooms.Two themes are highlighted within their narratives: (a) being ‘the only one’ and (b) Black women’s strength.