Date of Award

Fall 11-25-2025

Access Restriction

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctorate in Education

Department

Education

School or College

School of Education

First Advisor

Kenzo Sung

Second Advisor

Keisha Chin Goosby

Third Advisor

Maxine McKinney de Royston

Abstract

Black women educators (BWEs) who worked in schools with a predominantly White staff endured environments that discouraged them from being themselves, oppressed their natural skill set, and limited their effectiveness. BWEs were not typically recognized for their pedagogical strengths and talents but rather only as racial minority representation in the school. This dissertation study’s two central research questions asked (a) how BWEs perceived the challenges and socio-emotional effects of working in school spaces with predominantly White staff and (b) what conditions were needed to be created for BWEs to heal and feel safe. This research utilized qualitative methods and focused on making meaning of people’s experiences through focus groups and interviews. The study focused on ethnomethodology, which examined the strategies people used to make sense of their interactions with others and how they interpreted their lived experiences (Leavy, 2023). The BWE participants of this study testified about their experiences working in schools with predominantly White staff. Although the women detailed a variety of serious diseases that manifested in their bodies from working in chronically racist environments, they each continued to show up for their students. Despite the physical and socio-emotional challenges these BWEs faced, they loved what they do. They loved their subject matter, the connections they built with students, and teaching. They saw teaching as a calling on their lives that they were compelled to answer.

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