This dissertation is a study of Bennett College for Women (Bennett College), one of two Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) whose mission continues to be the provision of higher education to Black women in America. It is one of just over one hundred HBCUs still operating in the United States. This dissertation tells the story of an institution founded as a day school in 1873 and its reorganization in 1926 as a college to educate Black women. The study answers the following research question: How does student participation in protest and activism at Bennett College for Women between 1930 and 1960 broaden our understanding of the experience of Black women in higher education? Located in Greensboro, North Carolina, Bennett College began operating through collaboration between the Woman’s Home Mission Society and the Board of Education of the Methodist Episcopal Church. The College, under the leadership of David Dallas Jones and Willa Beatrice Player, revised its curriculum and developed and expanded its co-curricular offerings in a way that empowered students to raise their collective voice, and that fostered a dynamic culture of activism among its students, faculty, and the Greensboro community. Until now, little was known of the their activism and protest during the early twentieth century. This dissertation explains how the College reviewed and revised its curriculum and developed a co-curricular program designed to meet the needs of Black women during the early twentieth century, with the goal of re-envisioning their role, place, and voice in American society. It also illuminates the students’ involvement in activism over a thirty-year period to better understand Black women’s higher education experience in the twentieth century. In addition to answering the research question, a history of the college is provided, with a focus on the early years during which David Dallas Jones and Willa Beatrice Player served Bennett College for Women as its first two presidents. I discuss how the curriculum revision and expansion of the co-curricular offerings lent itself to Bennett College re-envisioning the role, place, and voice of Black women in American society. I discuss social and gender roles, norms, and expectations of Black women during the period, as well as the rules and regulations that shaped higher education and campus life for Black women in the South generally and specifically for students at Bennett College. Bennett College publications were used to capture the student and faculty voices, in addition to the types of issues that concerned them, and around which they organized as activists, to advocate and protest. The implications of Bennett’s students’ participation in protest and activism are discussed, and how their activism challenged the gender roles, norms, and expectations for Black women in American society.

African American women continue to enroll at historically White institutions (HWIs) to pursue their bachelor’s degrees (Miller, 2017). African American women continue to experience exclusion (Zamani, 2003) and hostile environments (Evans, 2007; Patton & Croom, 2017; Zamani, 2003) that demean African American women. Nevertheless, African American women persist and succeed in higher education. Although access in the United States has increased for non-white populations, decades of research on discriminatory environments at historically white colleges and universities creating campus climates that are unwelcoming towards African American women. Intersectionality (Crenshaw, 1991) focuses on how African American women’s lives cannot be explored without consideration other multiple identities. In spite of the challenging campus climate, African American women continue to attend HWIs (Miller, 2017) and succeed (Miles, Jones, Clemons, & Golay, 2011). Prior research does not adequately explore the pathways to African American college women's success. The purpose of this study is to investigate the strategies and networks of African American undergraduate women access, create and employ to succeed while attending historically white institutions.

African American women's HIV incidence rates are disproportionately higher than other population groups in the United States. Social cognitive theory concepts were used to perform a quantitative content analysis of the magazines Essence, Ebony, and Jet, which are sources of health information and vicarious learning, to evaluate the quality of the HIV/AIDS prevention messages for 2000 to 2006. The data reveal some positive reflection of health messages, but many articles focus more on dramatic risk factors and less on providing useful information and proposed behaviors for African American women. Environmental risks and gender-specific risks are not emphasized. The public health community should use the media messages that are already present to build a media advocacy campaign that provides more comprehensive information and bring about social change.

Cervical cancer incidence in the United States has declined for the past 40 years, yet the odds of developing cervical cancer is much higher among marginalized women, particularly African American and Hispanic American women. Although preventable through vaccination against the human papillomavirus (HPV) prior to infection, uptake and completion rates of the vaccine among African American and Hispanic American women are low. The purpose of the study was to determine if a significant relationship existed between the health literacy levels of African American and Hispanic American women, ages 18-26, and the low HPV vaccination uptake. The integrated behavioral model, which identifies factors antecedent to behavioral intention, as well as the motivating variables, was the theoretical framework. Secondary data from the 2015 National Health Interview Survey were used to examine the relationships among the variables of interest. A logistic regression (n = 2093) showed that health literacy is a strong determinant of HPV vaccine behavior intention, and that there was a significant relationship between health literacy and HPV vaccine initiation. Health literacy mediated the relationships between the motivating variables and the vaccine uptake, and completely mediated the relationship between ethnicity and HPV vaccine uptake. Health literacy did not independently predict the vaccine initiation. The findings from this study might (a) provide public health practitioners with enough information to guide health promotion activities to increase the vaccination coverage to the level expected in Healthy People 2020, (b) save economic resources through cancer prevention, and (c) improve lives by curbing the excess deaths among racial minority women.

The purpose of this qualitative study was to learn more about leadership from the perspectives, norms, and values of a selected group of African American women leaders. I sought to develop a more inclusive view of the realities of leadership, and a better understanding of the impact of the interlocking status of race, gender, and social class on the practice, pursuit, and perceptions of leadership by these women. This study is grounded in a Black women's standpoint, and places Black women's experiences at the center of analysis. In answer to the question "How do we know the world?," the standpoint suggests that Black women know the world as survivors and not as victims, as mothers, and as "other mothers." In answer to the question "What is the nature of reality?," Black women's standpoint embraces a reality that is defined by complexity and contradiction, by an acknowledgment that racism is a constant that must not become an excuse for giving in or giving up: that reality is self, internally defined. In answer to the question "How do Black women gain knowledge about the world?," the standpoint suggests that knowledge is gained through real life experience, by paying attention to the past and to the present, to the margins and to the center, to the pieces and to the whole, and by listening and responding to our own and each other's authentic voices (Collins, 1990). Of the seven women selected for the study, four are positional leaders: a high school principal, a senior level community college administrator, a state legislator, and the executive director of a large philanthropic foundation. Also participating were three non-positional leaders who work within their communities in different roles described in the study. I interviewed each respondent using a modified open interview schedule. Interviews lasted between one-and-a-half and three-and-a-half hours. Common themes emerging from the interviews included: (a) development of psychological and emotional resilience, (b) experiences of racism and sexism, (c) cultivation of a spiritual or religious life, (d) construction of a positive sense of self, and (e) a construct of connected leadership.

In 2014, less than 16% of executive leaders in U.S. corporations were women and less than 5.3% of executive leaders in U.S. corporations were African American women. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the experiences of 20 African American women in senior executive positions in the Southeastern region of the United States. The goal of this study was to provide business leaders with information to recognize the value of diversity and equality in the workplace. Participants were recruited using snowball sampling. The conceptual framework incorporated general systems theory, which highlights the bidirectionality between an individual and his or her environment. Data were gathered from audio-recorded semistructured interviews that were transcribed and coded for emergent themes. The findings revealed several strategies for success among African American women, such as tolerating opposition in a male-dominated work environment, and overcoming barriers such as race and gender discrimination. These findings have implications of positive social change by increasing awareness among business leaders of racial inequalities in the workplace. Such awareness may, in turn, decrease workplace discrimination to foster a more conducive environment to promote African American women into executive leadership positions. By making the issues of inequalities for African American women more visible, this research opens the opportunity to discuss the topic and seek resolutions across all organizations.

African American women living in rural Ohio have a history of low mammogram screening rates and a high incidence of breast cancer identification in the late stage of the disease, leading to mortality rates exceeding those of Caucasian women. The purpose of this doctoral project was to establish a breast health educational program for health providers in a local mammography center that did not provide such a program specifically targeted for African American women. Three theoretical frameworks, the health belief model, Knowles's learning theory, and the PEN-3 model, guided the development of a staff education program based on cultural appropriateness. The practice-focused question was whether or not the educational program would enable health care providers and staff to use an evidence-based approach to promote the message of breast cancer prevention in a population at high risk for breast cancer. A radiology specialist, nurse navigator and radiology supervisor reviewed the educational plan and the Komen Toolkit materials and graded the program as strongly supporting a cultural competency program. The education and experience of the three panel experts in mammography enabled them to serve as evaluators for this research project. The strategy to use faith-based leaders' as representatives of the African American patient population collaborating with providers supported cultural competency in health care. Mammography centers and faith-based organizations benefit from this project because of its focus on culture at the center of its development. Cultural competency supports positive social change in health care for an at-risk population.

The prevalence and incidence of breast cancer is an important issue that is affecting all women, but African American women have the lowest survival rates after breast cancer diagnosis. Historically, the Black church and faith leaders have been essential in promoting health in the African American community. Moreover, faith-based interventions have become more common within the African American community in addressing factors that affect survival rates such as early detection, cultural barriers, and education. Currently, there is not clear information on the perspectives faith leaders have on their experiences with implementing breast health interventions in their places of worship. This phenomenological study used interpretivism as the conceptual framework to understand the experiences of the faith leaders of African American congregations who participated in Worship in Pink, a faith-based breast health program implemented among congregations in metropolitan Atlanta. The research questions sought to answer what faith leaders' experiences were with participating in this intervention and what situations or contexts may have influenced their experiences. In depth, semistructured interviews were administered to a sample of 5 faith leaders who participated in Worship in Pink. There were 3 themes and 1 subtheme that emerged because of the study. The themes included partnership with Komen Atlanta, increased awareness, impact on the community, and resources. The positive social change implications include knowledge useful for faith leaders, program developers, health policy makers, health educators, and other researchers who are seeking to understand experiences of faith leaders in order to improve breast health and awareness of African American women.

African American women tend to have lower attendance rates at cervical cancer screenings compared to the attendance rates of women from other ethnic groups. The purpose of this research project was to understand how perceptions of African American women affects attendance of future cervical cancer screenings. The goal was to understand what contributes to low attendance. Previous research did not focus on factors contributing or interfering with appointment attendance among African American women, aged 30-65. The conceptual framework was based on individual health behavior. The research questions examined lived experiences affecting attendance of cervical cancer screenings, attendance of future screenings, and perceptions of experiences. Data collection was based on a phenomenological approach. Open-ended questions were used to gather descriptions of 5 participants' experiences via telephone interviews. These interviews were recorded, transcribed, and coded for recurring themes and patterns. Findings revealed 3 emergent themes related to the attendance of screenings: being knowledgeable of the purpose of cervical cancer screening, a female examiner performing the screening, and the encouragement of family and friends. The implications for social change would be increased knowledge among African American women aged 30-65 and the medical community.

Many youth exit the United States foster care system each year and face challenges related to housing, employment, health care, and education. After emancipation, foster youth can experience family instability, educational disruption, incarceration, unemployment, unstable housing, and emotional problems at a much higher rate than youth in the general population. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine the experiences of African American foster women and the social support they received in finding housing upon exiting foster care system. Bronfenbrenner's ecological theory provided a conceptual framework of social interrelation for the study. Data were collected from a purposeful sample of 4 African American former foster care women, a foster parent, a social worker, and a director of a support service's programs through face-to-face interviews. Data were analyzed using a 5-step approach for coding and analysis. Key findings were that the mobilization of collaborative social network support from foster parents, social workers, and government officials before foster youth enters their transitional phase were keys to successful outcomes. According to the foster care women and supporting adults' reports, more collaboration among agencies may assist youth with transitioning to independent living. Additionally, one-on-one mentorship program could address housing, education, employment, and health plans prior to emancipation. This study contributes to social change by providing information to those who provide services to foster care youth and may lead to enhanced programs and services encouraging youth to pursue their goals, and promote economic self-sufficiency.