This study captured the lived experiences of three African American female classroom teachers who left the profession within three years of being in the career. The main goal that led this research was to include the perspective of African American women in the conversation about teacher retention, turnover, and attrition percentages that plague the field of education. The primary questions that guided this study were, "What can be learned from the life stories of former African American female teachers who left the teaching profession from South Carolina public classrooms during their induction years?", "What do their life stories reveal about the role of gender and race in their educational histories and their experiences in the teaching profession?", and "What motivators do former African American female teacher participants identify in their decision to leave the classroom within their first five years?" Data sources for this study included interviews and artifacts (letters and journal entries). Data were analyzed using a thematic coding table. Life stories of the participants were then used to create three personal narratives from the interview responses, which highlighted their experiences and captured the findings of the study. This research focused on the needs and lived experiences of African American women who taught in public elementary schools in the state of South Carolina for three years or less. Although the participant criteria were extremely specific, the data results can be used and implemented to improve teacher retention and enhance teacher preparation and recruitment across other backgrounds, school grade levels, and states. The results from this study may be useful for the following aspects of improving the field of education: (1) teacher preparation in colleges of education, (2) recruitment of African American female teachers, and (3) support and teacher autonomy from school and district administration and leaders. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]