Black women have long traditions of peer support and self-advocacy that has been advanced by the current digital age. Social media and online platforms have become spaces where Black women share and connect with other Black women, and campaign for their own needs regarding health care access and navigation. Drawing on the findings emerging from a focus group discussion between six Black women that explored their experiences in Ontario based health care settings, this paper describes women’s suggestions for increasing access to Black and women-centered virtual health-related support and advocacy. Findings reveal that despite being young, Canadian-born and university educated, anti-Black racism and sexism permeates the health care encounters of all Black women; that Black women engage in emotionally taxing labour to have their health care needs met; and that Black women’s positive and challenging experiences inform their suggestions for support and advocacy online with other Black women. The women’s visions for health care support and advocacy expose an urgency for race and gender-specific online health care support and health care reform that acknowledges the legacies of Black patients and goes beyond structural competency. / Thesis / Master of Social Work (MSW)

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to investigate the experiences of Black alumni from an all girls STEM-focused high school to determine their college and career outcomes in STEM. I investigate how Black women describe their experiences related to STEM barriers and supports, their identities, and college and career choices, as they remain one of the most underrepresented groups in STEM. Three Black women, who are alumni from a Grades 6-12 STEM-focused all girls school, were interviewed and participated in a focus group. The study employed a theoretical lens of Black feminist thought intersectionality, and STEM identity in describing experiences through reflection and discourse, which drew on a phenomenological approach. The results of this study provided insights into the experiences of Black alumni from an all-girls STEM high school, and revealed that while the school promoted women's empowerment and a safe environment of familiarity, there is a need for more supportive learning environments that allow their voices; and representation of Black women that center their unique identities and experiences. Participants expressed the need for more guidance beyond high school in understanding the complexities of transitioning to adulthood that affect college and career outcomes. More longitudinal studies are needed in future research to better understand the educational journeys and career pathways of Black women in STEM and all girls schools so that we can prepare a more diverse, skilled and competitive STEM workforce, and empower Black women to excel in STEM fields.

In this dissertation, African/Caribbean-Canadian women’s experiences of coping with divorce were explored using a qualitative methodology. This study was approached from a Black Feminist paradigm using the lived experiences of Black women as a source of knowledge. Divorce and coping literature provided a theoretical framework for understanding the issues related to divorce in the Black community and effective coping efforts among Black women, particularly as it pertains to divorce. Six separated/divorced women from the same family, representing two generations, were interviewed individually and as a group using a semi-structured interview guide. The participants discussed their reflections on marriage and marital disruption, their post-separation experiences and challenges, and the coping resources they accessed during the divorce process. The participants also discussed how their own marriages and divorces were influenced by the marriages and marital disruptions of their family members. The results from the interviews were reported in a case study format using the voices of the participants to tell their own stories. A grounded theory analysis found that Black women faced the common challenges of starting over, single parenting, financial loss, lifestyle adjustment, and emotional adjustment during the divorce process. To cope with these challenges, the majority, if not all, of the women cited a support network, a sense of responsibility, a positive perspective, spirituality, and independence as effective coping resources. It was the hope of the participants and the researcher that this study would help other women experiencing divorce by illustrating how effective coping efforts can lead to greater happiness after divorce.

In this dissertation, African/Caribbean-Canadian women’s experiences of coping with divorce were explored using a qualitative methodology. This study was approached from a Black Feminist paradigm using the lived experiences of Black women as a source of knowledge. Divorce and coping literature provided a theoretical framework for understanding the issues related to divorce in the Black community and effective coping efforts among Black women, particularly as it pertains to divorce. Six separated/divorced women from the same family, representing two generations, were interviewed individually and as a group using a semi-structured interview guide. The participants discussed their reflections on marriage and marital disruption, their post-separation experiences and challenges, and the coping resources they accessed during the divorce process. The participants also discussed how their own marriages and divorces were influenced by the marriages and marital disruptions of their family members. The results from the interviews were reported in a case study format using the voices of the participants to tell their own stories. A grounded theory analysis found that Black women faced the common challenges of starting over, single parenting, financial loss, lifestyle adjustment, and emotional adjustment during the divorce process. To cope with these challenges, the majority, if not all, of the women cited a support network, a sense of responsibility, a positive perspective, spirituality, and independence as effective coping resources. It was the hope of the participants and the researcher that this study would help other women experiencing divorce by illustrating how effective coping efforts can lead to greater happiness after divorce.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Miami University, Dept. of Educational Leadership, 2007. / Title from second page of PDF document. Includes bibliographical references (p. 83-86).

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Using a youth-led participatory action inquiry and photovoice methodology, this study investigated the self-perceptions of Black girls in a suburban area of Northern California. The objective of the project was to explore the perspectives and lives of Black girls. It is through gained insight from their lived experiences that we can come to understand their needs and develop approaches to advance their own holistic empowerment. By gathering self-perceptions of Black girls using photovoice, the project aimed to inform youth workers, educators, and youth-serving organizations such as Magic Black Girls Leadership Institute (MBG) on how to meet the needs and cultivate developmental assets among Black girls. Magic Black Girls was conceived to empower young, Black women to create their own space to grow, become personally aware of their own worth, and stand in their own power. The findings of this study indicate a need for positive counterspaces in which Black girls can generate a counter narrative, gain cultural awareness, experience a sense of community, experience joy, and build skills of activist leadership. The developmental tasks of adolescence for Black young people are complicated by the added context of oppression and racial discrimination which makes it essential to recognize and take action to create supportive environment that nurtures the positive development of Black girls. Further, the findings of this study contended that the use of innovative, holistic youth empowerment strategies are essential in the formation of spaces dedicated to encouraging, enlightening and empowering of young Black girls.

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