Women comprise most of the professionals in student affairs in higher education in the United States. They are tasked with supporting students and campus communities with complex challenges and needs. Women student affairs leaders simultaneously manage multiple roles and responsibilities, both personal and professional. The work of women student…

This study explores specific examples of social pressures and performances Black women student affairs professionals have navigated, adapted, and challenged since the pandemic's beginning (2020) to the present era. While utilizing Black Feminist Performance Theory (BFPT) and radical Black subjectivity (hooks, 2015), this study centers on the…

In this article, the author argues that Black women have experienced heightened levels of tokenism and hypervisibility since the 2016 election. By engaging with Black Feminist Theory and Kanter's tokenism framework, the author outlines how tokenism impacts the esteem and well-being of Black women student affairs professionals. More specifically,…

By framing the phenomenon of resilience around adverse, harmful experiences and drawing a direct relation to positive outcomes, society desensitizes Black Women to the scale of the adversities they face and ignores the magnitude of psychological stress they have had to endure as a means of survival. The praise and reinforcement associated with…

Capitalism shapes all aspects of Americans' lives, particularly in their work lives. The nature of the Coronavirus-19 Pandemic changed the foundational model of the common workplace, which had been relatively unimpacted since the late 1920s. These changes have influenced many workers to reexamine their professional lives, thus leading to what has…

Anti-Blackness in the academy has the potential to negatively impact relationships between Black Women, which can ultimately influence Black women's retention and career advancement. Through an analysis of existing theories, including workplace friendships, Black feminist thought, and critical race theory, the authors first interrogate how…

This study explores the mental and emotional well-being of Black women Student Affairs administrators by examining their experiences while working at historically White institutions. Their experiences were examined using critical narrative inquiry and Black Feminist Thought to understand the layers of race and gender on their well-being in an…

Many women leave higher education and the workforce due to inadequate support after childbirth, as student affairs units often struggle to create family-friendly environments. The purpose of this narrative inquiry qualitative study was to understand why and how mothers who work in student affairs choose to stay after having children. This study…

Using sista circle methodology (Johnson, 2015), this critical qualitative study explores the experiences of Black women student affairs professionals and the critical incidents that occur in workplace relationships with white women higher education professionals at historically White institutions (HWIs). The research questions explored how Black…

Women make up the overwhelming majority of student affairs practitioners; many are also mothers. Simultaneously, there is a dearth in scholarly literature that addresses the impact of motherhood on the careers of women in student affairs, particularly mothers in the senior student affairs officer (SSAO) position. This study utilized hermeneutic…

Women of Color student affairs staff experience the nexus of gendered and racialized traumatization regularly in their institutional environments; yet, their experiences are underrepresented in both student affairs leadership and in scholarly literature. Furthermore, identity-conscious, trauma-aware supervision is a promising protective strategy…

Although graduate preparation programs are a key entry point for the higher education and student affairs (HESA) profession, many programs fail Black women practitioners who later serve in predominantly white work environments (PWWEs). While a dominant narrative suggests Black women perform well as learners in higher education, there is limited…

Through an unsustainable moniker that often receives no reprieve, Black women student affairs professionals become the institutional fixer--the StrongBlackWoman who can do all. Through a raced and gendered expectation, they support the needs of their students, many of whom are students of color. This effort creates a precarious double bind that…