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Welcome to the Fostering Healthy Identities & Resilience Lab! We think that Black women and girls have a range of unique experiences, which we try to capture in our projects on:
- identity beliefs (race, gender, social class, and sexuality)
- bias and discrimination (i.e., misogynoir)
- sociopolitical development and activism (#BLM and #SayHerName)
- race and gender socialization practices
We're invested in exploring questions like -- What does healthy identity development look like for Black girls and women? How do Black girls think about their schooling contexts? What do Black women have to say about mental health and wellness? How do Black families support Black girls in achieving their goals and dreams?
In the F.H.I.Re Lab, we use quantitative (i.e., surveys) and qualitative (i.e., in-depth interviews and focus groups) methods to understand and address issues related to the holistic development of Black girls and women in the context of families, schools, and communities. Specifically, we focus on how race and gender identity beliefs support Black girls and women's resilience and resistance to inequity (i.e., racism, sexism, and classism - just to name a few).
Check our Team page & contact Dr. Leath ([email protected]) if you're interested in finding ways to be involved!
Research
The current project prioritizes Black students’ perspectives of their institutions’ commitment to anti-racism, equity, and inclusion within the current political climate, and examines the associations between Black student’s perceptions of the institutional climate, rates of mental health service utilization, and their overall college adjustment.
The Black Women Thriving Study will investigate how to recruit, support, and retain Black women in STEM pathways to help build and sustain transformative educational opportunities for Black women at Predominantly White Institutions (PWIs) and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).
The Black Woman Socialization Study focuses on the messages that Black undergraduate women received while growing up about their identities as Black girls and their awareness of stereotypes about Black women (e.g., Sapphire, Strong Black Woman, and the Jezebel).