Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Toronto, 2006. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 67-07, Section: A, page: 2433. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 295-313).

Women of color who are also sexual minorities face an interesting position of being marginalized on multiple dimensions of their identity. Psychological health and well being can be negatively impacted by having a minority status, so it is imperative that psychologists are aware of cultural differences and are competent in addressing them (APA, 2002). For persons with marginalized racial, gender, and sexual identities, identity is crafted in ways that create meaning for the individual despite experiences of racism, sexism, or homophobia. The purpose of this study was to give voice to the lived experiences of African American women who are sexual minorities. Ten interviews were conducted using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) and used frameworks of Queer Theory and intersectionality to study the experience of having multiple marginalized identities (i.e., racial, sexual, and gender identities), in addition to the meaning that individuals derive from the experience of their identity. Eight Emergent Themes were identified: (1) Dichotomy of Identity, (2) (Dis)Comfort in Communities, (3) Cultural Expectations, (4) Power and Oppression, (5) Movement between Categories, (6) Congruence, (7) Challenges to Identity, and (8) Expression and Performance of Self.

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This thesis study takes a mixed methods and black feminist approach to find out how black women are represented within the beauty advertisements of women's fashion magazines.

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The purpose of this thesis is to explore the experiences of Black women regarding air pollution in Toronto. Specifically, it explores the experiences of Black women in Toronto in regard to air pollution and the connections to air pollution and other barriers that Black women may face in Toronto. The thesis used qualitative research alongside air pollution literature in Canada to explain these experiences. The thesis will use the definition of environmental racism and the main theoretical framework of racial capitalism. In Chapter 1, there is a general discussion on the impacts of air pollution, with mention of a ruling of the first death caused by air pollution in the world, in order to showcase the growing concern associated with exposure to air pollution. Furthermore, this chapter explains how air pollution affects population health and focuses on the impact of specific chemicals and compounds associated with air pollution. In Chapter 2, discusses why Black women and their experiences with air pollution are unique compared to the general population in Canada. Furthermore, this chapter explains air pollution and its effects in Toronto, Ontario, including the sources of traffic and industrial air pollution levels, while emphasising the unequal burden of air pollution affecting lower-income groups in Toronto. Chapter 4 explains the theoretical approaches. Chapter 5 will discuss the interview analysis, verbatim quotes from participants and connecting the theories mentioned in the literature review portion to what the participants have mentioned. Chapter 6 will conclude the thesis. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc)

Stereotypical images of blacks have persisted throughout multiple forms of media for decades, with one of the most recent arenas being reality television programming. This study examines the Bravo Television network series The Real Housewives of Atlanta to consider the impact of reality television on the image of black women in America today. This increasingly popular show is the most viewed in The Real Housewives franchise, and demonstrates that black women in America do not embody any one historical or contemporary stereotype of black women in particular, but rather are a compilation of these stereotypes depending on the situation at hand. / Master of Science

<p>Black women’s underrepresentation in STEM disciplines remains an urgent problem of major concern in higher education institutions across the United States. The purpose of this investigation was to explore Black women’s experiences in an active learning STEM Human Centered Design course at a Predominantly White Institution. It also examined how these experiences influenced Black women’s intent to persist in STEM educational pathways. Black Feminist Thought Theoretical Framework was used to conceptualize and interpret the experiences of five Black female first year undergraduate students at a Predominantly White Institution in the Midwestern region of the United States. This qualitative case study research utilized semi structured interviews, direct observations, and documents to gather and triangulate data for this study. The findings from this study revealed that: (a) <i>Imposter Syndrome: An Enduring Internalized Question of Competency, </i>(b) <i>Undermining of Academic Abilities</i>: <i>Cross Examination of Intellect,</i> (c) <i>Lack of Diversity: A Colorless Norm,</i> (d) <i>Isolation: Intrinsic Sensitivity of Separation from Others</i> were the salient experiences facing these five undergraduate Black women. This investigation contributes to the dearth of scholarship on Black women in STEM by highlighting their undergraduate experiences in a STEM course, and describing ways to ensure their persistence towards STEM educational pathways.</p>

The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine how African American female band directors create and utilize counterspaces for African American female musicians to share collective and individual experiences, maintain involvement, form positive self-definitions about themselves, and to counter intersecting forms of oppression in bands. In this study, I also examined the African American female band directors’ perceptions about counterspaces in bands. To illuminate the experiences of the 17 African American female band directors who participated in this study and their use of counterspaces as an activist response to resist intersecting forms of oppression perpetuated within the band world, Black feminist thought (BFT) as a framework was employed. The following research questions guided this study: (1) What are the African American female band directors’ perceptions and knowledge about counterspaces, and how do they utilize counterspaces to counter intersecting forms of oppression that African American female musicians face in bands?; (2) How do the African American female band directors utilize counterspaces to help the African American female band students form positive self-definitions about themselves, and to share their individual and collective experiences of involvement in bands?; and (3) How do counterspaces help African American female band directors understand common themes in the lives of African American female musicians that contribute to their sustained involvement in bands? The findings of this study revealed that counterspaces are essential for countering the perpetuation of intersecting forms of oppression and negative stereotypical images of African American females. This study further revealed that counterspaces functions as a mechanism where African American female band directors are able to foster the interconnected dimensions of self-definitions, collective and self-empowerment, and oppositional consciousness among their respective African American female band students. This study also provided insight into the current status of African American females within the field of instrumental music education in the U.S and dimensions of power structures that are continuously perpetuated to negate African American female’s equal stance within the field.