Gifted Black Women Navigating the Doctoral Process

This book explores the experiences of gifted Black women doctoral graduates, featuring narratives of their challenges related to race, gender, parenthood, class, and first-generation status offering discussion on the role of community and academic support in their success. Delivering concrete guidance on navigating the challenges of doctoral programs, this critical text draws on endarkened epistemology, recognizing the nuanced path gifted Black women walk in the academy. Accessible and evocative, this collection highlights the role of academic and social sisterhood, supplying a much-needed contribution to the ongoing discussion around race, academic achievement, gender, and mental health.

Brittany N. Anderson is an Assistant Professor in Urban Education at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in the Department of Middle, Secondary, and K-12 Education. Her research focuses on university-school-community partnerships that support talent development and the identification of minoritized youth in urban schools. Shaquinta L. Richardson is an entrepreneur, consultant, and life coach for high-achieving Black women. She is a former Marriage and Family Therapist and Professor of Marriage and Family Studies. Her academic research centered on the influence of racial and gender identity on experiences of Black American women with intellectual and developmental disabilities within the family context.

Foreword Acknowledgments Introduction 1 Navigating the Doctoral Experience as First-Generation, Gifted Black Women: Our Path, Our Voice 2 MISUNRE: Navigating the Doctoral Journey as an Exceptionally Gifted Black Woman 3 It Takes a Village: Cultivating Belonging, Community, and Sisterhood 4 Face Your Studies: Exploring Education, Opportunity, and Community as a First-Generation Immigrant -5 The Evolution of My Biracial Identity through Attending Two Predominately White Institutions 6 All of Me: Centering Homeplace in Personal and Professional Reflections of Becoming a Blackgirl Motherscholar 7 Truth Be Told: Testimonies of a Black Stem Health Scholar-Wife-Mother 8 Navigating the Doctoral Process While Experiencing Tragedy 9 Imagining a New Thing through Active Disruption: Tools to Center Black Aliveness and Wholeness for Black Women in Doctoral Programs Afterword: Black Gifted Women Journeying-Together About the Editors About the Contributors Index