Journal of College & University Student Housing "Housing While Black" Theme Issue - 65

Black Women Senior Housing Officers
knowledge of minoritized bodies; (b) prioritizing self-love; (c) emphasizing agency in
a matrix of domination; (d) foregrounding identity as performative; (e) and dreaming
and imagining futures not yet known " (p. 538). Self-definition was defined as the ability
to gain a sense of consciousness toward owning those internally defined narratives and
understanding your value (Collins, 2009). Broadly, BFT is about amplifying the knowledge
construction of Black women by Black women. Both authors acknowledge their
shared positionality as Black women in higher education seeking to propel the voices
of this professional group and centering the " complexities that comprise the everyday
experiences of Black females " (Holmes, 2008, p. 105).
Research Questions
Both authors posed research questions that focused on the dynamics of Black womanhood
while serving as an organizational leader. While there are multiple questions
posed for each study, the studies converge in the following queries.
Author A: In what ways do these women define their positional roles as impacted by
their race and gender? Author A sought to emphasize the ways in which Black women
senior housing officers thrive as organizational leaders despite racial and gendered
barriers. This specific question was an exploration of occupation, race, and gender and
the interplay between all three.
Author B: How have the race and gender of these women contributed to their
experiences in SHO positions at PWIs? Author B sought to introduce a conversation on
the professional experiences of Black women senior housing officers that had not been
discussed in prior literature.
Participants/Sample
Both studies shared general participant criteria: Participants must identify as Black/
African American, must identify as a woman, must serve in a senior housing officer role,
and must work at a historically White higher education institution in the United States.
Snowball sampling was used in both studies to gather participants (demographic
information is included in Tables 1 and 2, page 63). While each study began with an initial
participant, recommendations from the initial participant were used to round out
the number of participants included in the data collection process. Snowball sampling
was the opportunity to promote trust in the group for the sake of open dialogue and
relationship-building.
. . . intersectionality is a firm acknowledgment that
discrimination based on both race and gender operates
in the everyday lives of Black women, including in
professional work spaces such as the housing/residential
program within higher education.
62 The Journal of College and University Student Housing

Journal of College & University Student Housing "Housing While Black" Theme Issue

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