Resilient Queens Collective
Empowering Black Women in the Resiliency Industry
Online Publications
& Reports
The list of publications will be continuously updated.
Black Women & Mentorship
Diana Wandix-White & Salma Boyd
Journal of African American Women and Girls in Education (JAAWGE)
Fall 2022
Abstract: Mentorship is often casually undertaken but rarely fully understood. This is particularly relevant to mentoring relationships involving Black women. Black women have a unique ability to uplift one another and help each other perceive, possess, and practice their “Black girl magic.” Thus, while various scholars have considered the characteristics of successful mentoring relationships, examining the characteristics of successful mentoring relationships between Black women requires an explicit focus on mentorship at the intersections of race and gender.
Channon Peoples, Margaret Brockmeyer & Dawn Indelicato-Faw
IRL @ University of Missouri-St. Louis
2022
Abstract: As researcher-practitioners, we noted that the literature on mentorship has increased dramatically in recent years. However, the literature lacks attention to female paired mentoring relationships, especially relationships between women of color. Although we did not initially set out to fill this gap, our research does bring attention to the power of mentorship relationships between women of color. We explore three critical factors of an effective, female mentor-mentee relationship: social capital development (i.e., expand networks, build relationships), social and emotional learning (i.e., strengthen emotional resilience, increase self-awareness), and awareness of intersectionality (i.e., interact with role models, draw upon one’s unique identities) [...].
Stacy Blake-Beard, Audrey Murrell & David Thomas
Harvard Business School
July 2006
Abstract: Race is a critical component of relationships in organizations, particularly in the United States and, due to shifting demographics, particularly for the future. As a socially embedded phenomenon, race also provides a lens for research on mentoring. This paper discusses why race and mentoring are important, how race has been studied or omitted in research to date, and what is known about the intersection of mentoring and race in organizations. The authors then discuss their own model, which aims to guide future research. Key concepts include:
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There is an opportunity in the twenty-first century to show how mentoring helps to create access and inclusion that goes beyond the color line.
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The strength of individuals' racial group identity, work group composition, and organizational culture all matter to the specific nature of mentoring or developmental relationships.
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Important dimensions of these relationships include the strength of social ties, formality, content, complexity, and trust.
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The study of race and mentoring remains unfinished business for organizational scholars, managers, and practitioners.
Black Women in Leadership
J. Jarpa Dawuni, Ph.D. & Jordan Frazier
TIAA Institute
Abstract: The paucity of Black women in the C-suite stems from a long history of intersectional biases, stereotypes and exclusions that have narrowed the opportunities for women to climb to the top of the business world and created an even narrower path to the top for Black women. Although explicit racism and sexism are no longer acceptable in the workplace, Black women continue to deal with the consequences of centuries of exclusion and unconscious and conscious biases in the workplace.
Chantelle K. Wright, Ed.D.
National Association of Colleges and Employers
Winter 2024
Abstract: To understand and remedy the issue of underrepresentation of Black women in leadership, the objectives of the research were twofold. First, I wanted to challenge the current deficit-based narratives that currently prevail around marginalized communities’ career development by unearthing the pre-existing resources that Black women use to navigate their careers. Second, I wanted to develop a set of recommended strategies for professional development for Black women and, by extension, for other women of color and their institutions. Although the current study is centered around the experiences of Black women, the recommended strategies for professional advancement can be applied and adopted by other groups, particularly those from marginalized communities. In an effort to transpose this theoretical exploration into principles that have real-world applicability, I have added reflection questions to each of the funds of knowledge themes below.
Ashleigh Shelby Rosette & Robert W. Livingston
Journal of Experimental Social Psychology
September 2012
Abstract: We contribute to a current debate that focuses on whether individuals with more than one subordinate identity (i.e., Black women) experience more negative leader perceptions than do leaders with single-subordinate identities (i.e., Black men and White women). Results confirmed that Black women leaders suffered double jeopardy, and were evaluated more negatively than Black men and White women, but only under conditions of organizational failure. Under conditions of organizational success, the three groups were evaluated comparably to each other, but each group was evaluated less favorably than White men. Further, leader typicality, the extent to which individuals possess characteristics usually associated with a leader role, mediated the indirect effect of leader race, leader gender, and organizational performance on leader effectiveness. Taken together, these results suggest that Black women leaders may carry a burden of being disproportionately sanctioned for making mistakes on the job.
Black Women's Health
Terika McCall, Meagan Foster & Todd A Schwartz
JMIR Publications
​February 2023
Abstract: Depression is a common mental health condition among Black American women. Many factors may contribute to the development of depressive symptoms, such as gender and racial discrimination, financial strain, chronic health conditions, and caregiving responsibilities. Barriers such as the stigmatization of mental illness, less access to treatment, the lack of or inadequate health insurance, mistrust of providers, and limited health literacy prevent marginalized populations from seeking care. Previous literature has shown that mobile health interventions are effective and can increase access to mental health services and resources.
Stephanie Castelin & Grace White
Psychology of Women Quarterly
February 2022
Abstract: The Strong Black Woman Schema (SBWS) is a cultural expectation for Black women to unfailingly display signs of strength and caretaker qualities, while suppressing their emotions. Although this schema is a purported source of strength for Black women, quantitative explorations of its psychological impact have been limited. In the present study, we examined associations between endorsement of the SBWS and several indicators of mental health and resilience in Black women. We analyzed responses from 212 college-aged, Black women assessing psychological distress, suicidal behaviors, resilience, and SBWS endorsement. Findings indicated that endorsement of the SBWS was positively related to both psychological distress and self-reported suicidal behaviors. In addition, the SBWS’ link to suicidal behaviors was mediated by psychological distress. Lastly, results from moderated mediation analysis supported a buffering effect of resilience. That is, when resilience was high, the association between psychological distress and suicidal behaviors, as well as the conditional indirect effects of the SBWS, was lessened. Implications of these findings suggest that prevalent endorsement of SBWS within Black communities may be harmful to Black women’s mental health. We call for additional research and provide recommendations on how the media, mental health professionals, and community leaders can mitigate its negative effects.
Juanita J. Chinn, Iman K. Martin & Nicole Redmond
Journal of Women's Health
February 2021
Abstract: Black women in the United States have experienced substantial improvements in health during the last century, yet health disparities persist. These health disparities are in large part a reflection of the inequalities experienced by Black women on a host of social and economic measures. In this paper, we examine the structural contributors to social and economic conditions that create the landscape for persistent health inequities among Black women. Demographic measures related to the health status and health (in)equity of Black women are reviewed. Current rates of specific physical and mental health outcomes are examined in more depth, including maternal mortality and chronic conditions associated with maternal morbidity. We conclude by highlighting the necessity of social and economic equity among Black women for health equity to be achieved.
Black Women & Money
Victoria Jackson & Brittani Williams
The Education Trust
​April 2022
Abstract: Forty-five million Americans collectively owe $1.7 trillion in student loan debt. Women hold nearly two-thirds of
that debt, and because of the gender pay gap, are more likely than men to have trouble paying off their debt.1
Black borrowers are the group most negatively affected by student loans, in large part because of systemic racism, the
inequitable distribution of wealth, a stratified labor market, and rising college costs. Black women enroll in college at
higher rates than Black men. But because they exist at the intersection of two marginalized identities and experience
sexism and racism at the same time, they make less money and often need to borrow more to cover the cost of
attendance, and struggle significantly with repayment.
Whitney Tucker
Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
April 2024
States and localities can realize more equitable, thriving economies by proactively addressing the historical marginalization and persistent exploitation of Black women through their revenue policies. State tax policy is not race-neutral but rather functions as a support system that upholds whiteness in politics and prosperity. Applying the Black Women Best framework — an economic principle that argues that policymaking to address the economic well-being of Black women can consequently improve economic conditions for everyone — would allow policymakers to address harms for those who have been historically excluded while promoting widespread opportunity and prosperity for all.
Diana Elliott & Fay Walker
Urban Institute
November 2022
Abstract: Exploring the intersections of race and gender help illuminate the ways in which policies and
practices can advance equity and narrow income and wealth gaps. The goal of this brief is to show that
by centering Black women in thinking about income- and wealth-building research, policy, and program
design, outcomes for all Americans could improve. As we describe in this brief, Black women face the
greatest disparities in income and wealth outcomes relative to most other groups disaggregated by
race, ethnicity, and gender. Many of these disparities are rooted in deliberate policy choices that hinder
not only Black women’s economic success, but that of others as well. Centering Black women allows us
to examine the complicated interrelationships between history and the present day, the need for
individual- and systems-level changes on several fronts to tackle the issues at hand, and how income
and wealth inequities are tied together. By exploring multiple intersections—race and gender, income
and wealth, past and present—we can begin to find various paths forward for advancing the economic
mobility and prosperity of Black women, and accordingly, all Americans.