Abstract
Although many Americans assume that systemic racism has been washed away through history, research shows that this is far from reality. Across a range of interdisciplinary scholarly research exists a consensus that systemic racism induces Black women’s suffering. The main question guiding my research asks how systemic racism facilitates college-aged Black women’s mental and emotional health outcomes. The goals of this study included documenting where systemic racism is prevalent, analyzing the mental and emotional impact of systemic racism on college-aged Black women, examining the coping mechanisms that college-aged Black women employ to minimize race-based distress, understanding how media attention to systemic racism impacts college-aged Black women’s mental and emotional health, and learning how college-aged Black women value public support for Black lives. Following a semester of quantitative and qualitative research, I assert that by virtue of the policies and practices sustaining the politico-economic exploitation and social marginalization of Black women, college-aged Black women are structurally vulnerable to adverse mental and emotional health. The consequences of the structural inequities burdening Black women’s lives deserve comprehensive understanding and solutions. My research advances an emerging scholarly call to action to uproot the systemic racism and structural inequities devastating the welfare of Black lives.
Recommended Citation
O'Neil, Drew Brody
(2022)
"The Mental and Emotional Impact of Being a College-Aged Black Woman Amid the Current Sociopolitical Climate,"
Proceedings of GREAT Day: Vol. 2021, Article 5.
Available at:
https://knightscholar.geneseo.edu/proceedings-of-great-day/vol2021/iss1/5